By Abbey Gotham
CINCINNATI, OH — Dayton didn’t take long to forge ahead in Sunday’s A-10 matchup with Xavier. The combination of a tenacious full court press and trapping defense prevented the Musketeers from scoring until the 15:32 mark.
Senior Patrice Lalor scored Dayton’s first five points, one fast break layup and a three from the top of the arc. Cassie Sant added seven points before Xavier could score, making the last layup before the Musketeers ended their 18-3 run.
The Cintas Center faithful didn’t get a chance to cheer for a field goal until after the eight minute mark. Tyeasha Moss started the Muskies with two free throws. Red shirt junior Jessica Pachko followed with another from the line. The Musketeers’ first field goal came from fellow red shirt Junior Amber Gray. She followed with another jumper a minute later when Moss led her with a pass. Later in the half, Pachko scored eight points in four minutes, but the Musketeers finished the first half shooting a dismal 28 percent (7-25) from the field.
Meanwhile the Flyers hit 47.1 percent (16-34) in the first 20 minutes. Junior guard Samantha Mackay accounted 11 points, six of those coming from three pointers. Cassie Sant added eight points and four rebounds. The Flyers led at the break, 43-26.
It didn’t stop there.
Dayton stretched its lead to 23 at the fifteen minute mark of the second half when Sant hit a pullup jumper.
While Dayton’s lead grew, so too did the opportunity for Xavier to quit. It was then that Xavier proved itself.
Gray and Pachko combined on back-to-back possessions with Pachko making layups to reduce the deficit to 16. Moss made it a 14-point game with a traditional three-point play. Crouch grabbed a long rebound and scored at the other end.
Hawkes drained a three-pointer trimming the lead to 11. The sophomore guard finished a layup, and the Musketeers trailed 71-62.
“In the first half they shot a very high percentage, so there weren’t as many rebounds,” commented Xavier coach, Amy Waugh. “In the second half again we did a great job grinding it out and coming up with those loose balls.”
Eventually, the Musketeers made it a seven-point game, but Dayton was too much. A 23-point deficit reduced to seven. The young Xavier squad showed composure regardless of the score.
The Musketeers improved their field goal shooting from 28 percent to 60 percent (15-25). At the same time, the Musky defense trimmed the Flyers from 47.1 percent to 33.3 percent (11-33).
When asked who helps the team remain focused Coach Amy Waugh commented: “We need everybody on this team to continue to improve and continue to get better, Tyeasha Moss and Shatyra, but honestly I think everybody on this team at a different time is going to speak up.”
Coach Waugh also commented that the game was a “moral victory.”
Two years ago, Xavier came within two points of a trip to the Final Four. The team returned to the NCAA tournament last year before bowing out in the second round. Four starters from that team graduated.
The pieces are in place for future success. Hawkes, and sophomore guard Ashley Wanninger both have plenty of time to develop, and will prove to be even more valuable in their remaining years. Pachko still has one year remaining. Forward Lakeisha Crouch is only a freshman and shows a lot of room for improvement.
Even though Xavier outrebounded Dayton 41-38, the Musketeers proved again that turnovers and second chance points can be their biggest problem. Twenty-five points off turnovers and 17 second-chance points changed the game. With the final score of 74-65, Dayton improves to 15-5 overall and 7-1 in the Atlantic Ten. Xavier falls to 5-16 overall, and 2-6 in league play.
Leave a Reply