Dec. 9, 2005

Box Score |  Quotes |  Photo Gallery

DAYTON, Ohio - In a game between two of the top three-point shooting teams in the nation, Jennifer Strong connected on four treys for a season-high 19 points as Dayton beat Cleveland State, 67-59 in non-conference women's basketball action on Friday night at UD Arena.

The Flyers (4-2) won their back-to-back games for the first time this season and improved to 3-0 at home with the victory by connecting on 8-of-21 shots from three-point range. CSU fell to 2-5 on the year despite hitting eight treys of its own.

"Tonight we played like we are trying to play and in spurts we played very well," UD Head Coach Jim Jabir said.

Strong was 6-of-12 from the field and 4-for-9 from behind the arc to lead four Dayton players that reached double figures in scoring.

"Jennifer (Strong) was selective tonight and has been working very hard to understand what a good shot is and tonight she showed that understanding." Jabir commented. "She is beginning to make good decisions and play to her ability."

Senior forward Cara Wright finished with her third double-double of the season and her second straight with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

Sophomores Kiki Lund and Karah Cloxton added 10 points a piece as they each drained two shots from three-point range.

UD came out of the gate on an 11-2 run behind the hot long-range shooting of Strong. The junior forward hit three treys in as many attempts in the first four minutes of the game to give the Flyers a nine-point edge with 16:12 remaining in the first half.

Strong hit her first five shots from the field including four from behind the arc en route to 14 first half points on 5-for-8 shooting overall and 4-of-7 from three-point range.

After Dayton held a 21-9 lead with 9:42 left in the half, Cleveland State outscored the Flyers 16-8 before halftime to close within four at 29-25.

Cara Wright opened up the second half with eight points in the first six minutes as the Flyers stretched their lead to seven points at 42-35. However, CSU answered back with eight straight points over the next five minutes to take a 43-42 advantage.

Then Strong came back with her biggest basket of the night on the very next possession. She broke a string of four straight missed shots when she hit a trey from the corner and was fouled for a four-point play that gave Dayton a 45-43 lead.

The basket ignited a 14-3 Flyer run that included a pair of three-point baskets by Cloxton and five-of-six shooting from the free throw line to build a 56-46 lead with 5:48 remaining in the game and held off a late Viking charge for a 67-59 victory.

The Flyers will take a week-long hiatus for semester exams. Dayton returns action next Saturday, December 18 at Long Island in a 2 p.m. ET tipoff.