Feb. 17, 2007

Box Score

DAYTON, OH - In a frantic final minute, a three-pointer by Dayton's Kathy Guin with 1.4 seconds left was the deciding factor as the Flyers topped Saint Joseph's women's basketball team, 78-77, Saturday afternoon at the University of Dayton Arena.

Trailing 71-69 with 57 seconds left, the Hawks' senior guard Ayahna Cornish converted two of her record-setting 21 free throws to tie that game at 71 apiece.

After giving up a Dayton layup, the Hawks set a pick for Cornish, but she was fouled by the Flyers' Jennifer Strong with 24 seconds left. Fouling out on the play, Strong earned a technical as well for foul language, allowing SJU to take the lead. Cornish made four straight free throws to put Saint Joseph's up 75-73.

Dayton came down and tied the game 10 seconds later on a jumpshot by Kiki Lund, but the Hawks regained the lead as senior guard Whitney Ffrench was fouled away from the ball.

Taking a 77-75 lead on the foul shots, the Hawks slipped back on defense, but the Flyers' Lund found an open Guin on the left wing, who buried the open three pointer with 1.4 seconds left.

A desperation attempt by the Hawks never came close as the buzzer sounded.

In the first half, Saint Joseph's struggled over the opening 10 minutes and trailed 13-6.

Saint Joseph's would rally over the final minute, cutting a once 10-point deficit, 37-27, to three, 39-36, on a three pointer by junior guard Timisha Gomez. Dayton would add a layup to end the half with a 41-36 advantage.

In the second half, the Flyers maintained their lead throughout, but never by more than seven. The Hawks tied it twice before the final minute of action.

For the game, SJU finished 20-of-54 from the floor (37 percent), 4-of-20 from three-point range, and set a single-game record from the foul line with 33 makes on 47 attempts (70.2 percent). At the other end, Dayton went 29-of-75 (38.7 percent), 4-of-16 from three-point range and 16-of-19 from the foul line (84.2 percent).

Individually, Cornish paced all scorers with a career-high 35 points, including her record-setting 21-of-27 day from the foul line. She also added nine rebounds, three assists a block and a steal, while Ffrench was the only other Hawk to score in double figures with 12.

Strong led the way for Dayton with a team-high 18 points, while Guin finished with 13.

With the loss, the Hawks fall to 15-11 on the year and 7-5 in Atlantic 10 play. Dayton improves to 11-16 overall and 6-6 in conference play.

Saint Joseph's returns to action next Friday when it travels to #8/9 George Washington for a 7 p.m. start.