DAYTON, Ohio - The University of Dayton women's basketball team travels to Philadelphia - the first of two trips to the City of Brotherly Love this season for the Flyers - to face off against Saint Joseph's this Wednesday, Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. ET at Hagan Arena. UD is off to a hot 2-0 start in Atlantic 10 action with wins over George Washington and St. Bonaventure. The Flyers have never opened Conference play with a 3-0 mark and will go after the feat when they play the Hawks. UD is one of four teams remaining that is unbeaten in A-10 action.
LAST TIME OUT
Patrice Lalor had a career day, posting 16 points in Dayton's 76-65 win over St. Bonaventure on Jan. 16 at UD Arena. Dayton improved to 14-3 and 2-0 in the Atlantic 10 with the win. Lalor also dished five assists with no turnovers. Senior Kendel Ross tallied 15 points and had a season-high 11 rebounds against SBU. Sophomore Justine Raterman also had 12 points in the contest, while fellow sophomore Kayla Moses had a season-high 11 points. UD outscored SBU 42-16 in the key and also had 12 points off of offensive rebounds in the game. The Flyers have won five straight at home. They put up 76 points on the top defensive team in the A-10 (SBU's 53.8 ppg).
SCOUTING SAINT JOSEPH'S
Saint Joseph's brings an 8-9 overall record and 1-1 Atlantic 10 record into the match against the Flyers. The Hawks are coming off a 58-55 overtime loss to Temple on Jan. 16. Senior Brittany Ford, a 6-foot-1 forward, leads SJU with 10.5 ppg and 13 blocks. Six-foot-two senior Ashley Logue adds 8.0 ppg and leads the Hawks with 5.7 boards per game. Freshman Ashley Prim has a team-high 45 assists and 23 steals, but also leads Saint Joseph's with 44 turnovers. The Hawks enjoy a 7-3 record at home, including their lone conference win, 62-57 over Fordham on Jan. 9 at Hagan Arena.
SERIES STUFF
The Flyers are 8-10 all-time against Saint Joseph's and have won the last three. UD is 3-4 when playing on the road against SJU. The Flyers took the last meeting, 84-57 at UD Arena on March 1, 2009 to close out the regular season. Justine Raterman came off the bench to score a game-high 16 points. Kendel Ross added 15. Ashley Brown had 12 points and De'Sarae Chambers and Casey Nance had 11 each as five Flyers scored in double figures. Katie Kuester led SJU with 14 and Brittany Ford was held to four points.
UP NEXT
The Flyers host Richmond on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. ET at UD Arena. The University of Dayton women's basketball team is hosting a free MRDD Clinic following the game against the Spiders at UD Arena.
A WELL-BALANCED DIET
The Flyers, putting up 72.2 ppg, have a very balanced and potent attack with 10 players averaging 5.1 ppg or more. Sophomore Justine Raterman, the 2008-09 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, leads UD in scoring with 12.5 ppg. Senior Kendel Ross is second with 10.4 ppg. Junior Kristin Daugherty is close to double digits with 9.2 ppg. Her sister, freshman Kari Daugherty is Dayton's fourth leading scorer with 6.5 ppg. De'Sarae Chambers has come on strong and is now averageing 5.8 ppg, while three players are averaging 5.6 ppg (Brittany Wilson, Casey Nance, and Kayle Moses). Nance, a Preseason All-Defensive Team selection, leads the Flyers and A-10 in blocked shots (37) and rebounds (114). Elle Queen chips in 5.1 ppg. Sophomore Patrice Lalor is the mastermind of the UD offense with 74 assists, and also averages 5.4 ppg. Her 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio is first in the Atlantic 10.
BLOCK PARTY
Sophomore Casey Nance, the Atlantic 10 leader in blocked shots, hit a career milestone in the George Washington game on Jan. 9. With her three swats against the Colonials she now has 101 in her career. Nance is just the fourth player in UD history to notch over 100 blocks; she needs just seven to move into third place all-time.
