DAYTON, Ohio - Top-seeded Dayton was able to earn its sixth trip to the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship final with a 58-50 win over fourth-seeded Saint Louis Satrurday in the semifinals at UD Arena.
“That was a really tough, great basketball game,” Dayton coach Shauna Green said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game. It’s always a defensive battle with Saint Louis. I thought we did a good job on the boards. I can’t say enough about our team finding a way and staying resilient. These seniors don’t want their season to be done.”
Dayton (24-8) was led by senior guard Jayla Scaife’s 25 points which included five three-point baskets. Kyla Whitehead added seven points and 10 rebounds.
This is Dayton’s first trip to the Atlantic 10 Championship finals since 2017 when it defeated Duquesne by a 70-56 score at Richmond Coliseum. Dayton has won two Atlantic 10 Championships in program history.
Saint Louis (19-13) was led by All-Conference First Teamer Ciaja Harbison’s 17 points. All-Rookie Team selection Rachel Kent swished 10 points, while redshirt sophomore forward Myriama Smith Traore contributed nine rebounds towards the Billiken’s cause.
“We kept fighting against a really good Dayton team on their home floor,” Saint Louis coach Lisa Stone said. “Their physicality bothered us. We cut it to eight, but couldn’t get more than that. Our kids really wanted this game. I love this group and we will play more basketball. We deserve to be where we’re at today but we deserved to play more basketball.”
Indicative of the fight both teams showed in the semifinals, Dayton sophomore forward Kyla Whitehead saw a teammate’s shot going out-of-bounds on the far-left sideline and refused to allow an empty possession, diving into press row to save the missed shot. With the ball safely back in UD’s possession, Jayla Scaife found senior guard Jenna Giacone open on the right corner and when the latter’s 3-point shot fell, UD Arena erupted in approval.
“That’s huge,” Scaife said of the sequence. “That’s what we feed on, that’s what keeps us going those hustle plays. We just know if we get hustle plays, we have to get a dagger with a score whether it’s a three or a score.”
The Billikens started the game scoring the opening four points, with Harbison recording five of the Billiken’s first six points.
Dayton quickly recovered and got into a rhythm, taking the lead when Whitehead made a 3-point basket. The triple was her third of the Atlantic 10 Championship after making three for the entire regular season.
Scaife also was able to show why she was an All-Conference First Team selection with eight first-quarter points as Dayton shot 50 percent for the frame and opened up a 23-10 lead after 10 minutes.
Dayton’s fast start continued into the second quarter as it finished off a 14-0 scoring run in 4:08 of game play. The run allowed for it to extend its lead with the largest advantage amounting to 20 points.
Saint Louis battled back All-Conference Third Team selection Kendra Wilken buried her seventh 3-point basket of the season. The shot opened up the Billikens offense, allowing SLU to cut Dayton’s lead to nine points. Saint Louis held Dayton scoreless for 5:39 of game action.
Down 11 points heading into the third quarter, Saint Louis battled Dayton for control of the quarter and ultimately the 10 minutes ended as a stalemate. The Saint Louis deficit dropped to as low as eight points in the fourth, but Dayton’s playmaking on both sides of the ball held on in the closing minutes to emerge victorious.
Dayton will face either second-seeded VCU or third-seeded Fordham in the Atlantic 10 Championship final which will be played Sunday at noon and be televised by ESPNU.