March 4, 2005

Box Score

WASHINGTON, DC - The University of Dayton women's basketball team fell to Fordham, 49-45, Friday afternoon in the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship opening round at the Smith Center in Washington, DC. Cara Wright recorded her 13th double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Flyers, but Monica Mack carried Fordham down the stretch, scoring 17 of her game-high 20 in the second half.

Emily Williams finished with 11 points, including five-for-five from the line, while Angela Cape added seven points and seven rebounds. Katie Butler came off the bench to chip in eight points and three rebounds.

Dayton finishes the 2004-2005 campaign at 12-16. Fordham improves to 10-20 and will face host George Washington Colonials on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in the quarterfinals.

The Flyers opened to a 4-0 lead on baskets inside from Cape and Wright. After Fordham got on the board, Williams hit back-to-back threes to push the lead to 10-2. The Flyers held the Rams to just five points in the first 10 minutes of the half.

Jade Leitao knocked down a three for Fordham as the Rams pulled within 13-10 with 7:04 to go in the first half. After trading baskets inside, Terri Ramsey hit a three-ball for the Flyers, but an `and-one' from Monica Mack cut the UD lead to 18-15.

Fordham held UD to six points in the final 10 minutes of the half and three free throws from the Rams sent the game tied at 18-18 at the half.

In the first half, the Flyers held Fordham to 19.4 percent shooting (6-of-31) but converted only 25 percent themselves.

Williams led all scorers at the break with six points, while Wright had five points and seven rebounds.

Fordham opened the second half with a bucket in transition to take its first lead of the game, and extended a 7-2 run to take a 25-20 lead before a Cape jumper halted the rally. Wright scored off a feed from Cape and Katie Butler came off the bench to grab a defensive rebound and nail a three to tie the game at 27-27.

Mack answered with a three-pointer of her own, but Wright tied the game at 30 with a jumper at the 9:36 mark. Neither team could muster a field goal over the next five minutes, free throws providing the only offense until Butler hit a three that tied the game at 36-36 with 4:06 remaining.

Again, Mack responded with a three and after the Flyers came up empty, she drove the lane and forced Wright to pick up her fifth foul. The ensuing free throws gave Fordham a 41-36 lead with 2:26 to go. After a pair of free throws by Cape, Mack hit a huge three to put Fordham up six with 1:40 remaining.

Butler hit a pair of free throws and Jada Jefferson restored the six-point lead for the Rams, at 46-40.

The two teams traded free throws before Williams was fouled shooting a three with under a second to go. The senior hit all three to pull UD to 49-45 before the buzzer.

The Flyers have never won at the Smith Center in eight tries, the previous seven coming against George Washington.

Dayton's 12-16 finish marks a nine-game improvement over last season's record. UD returns 13 of 14 players off the roster for next season, losing Emily Williams to graduation. Williams finishes her Flyer career with 796 points, 166 assists, 99 steals, and 96 three-pointers.