KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The University of Dayton women's basketball team traveled north to take on Western Michigan University Thursday night and held on for a 65-58 win.

The Flyers (6-5) battled to their second road win of the season while the Broncos (3-6) ended their winning streak.  

GAME BREAKDOWN
1st Quarter: Dayton 12, Western Michigan 10

• The game started off at a slow pace due to the physicality from both teams defensively.
• WMU was the first team on the board with a made free throw at the 8:07 mark.
• Dayton managed its first bucket after an offensive rebound from graduate Nicole Stephens who fed senior Nayo Lear for a pullup jumper with 7:42 on the clock.
• Junior Fatima Ibrahim took the ball into the paint and scored a tough one over the defender to give UD its first lead of the game.
• At the media break, WMU held a narrow 6-4 lead over Dayton even though UD had a three minute scoring drought.
• Sophomore Molly O'Riordan ended the skid with a nice turn-around jumper in the paint.
• Then it was the Flyers' turn to hold the Broncos without a point for nearly three minutes while forcing four turnovers.
• Stephens drilled a corner three with just over two to go to put UD up three.
• Six Flyers scored at least a point in the opening quarter.

2nd Quarter: Dayton 32, Western Michigan 25

• Dayton looked to add to its lead early in the second, but the threes were not falling for the visitors like they hoped. WMU on the other hand hit their three to pull back ahead.
• Junior Jayda Johnson quickly answered though with her first of the game.
• Stephens hit yet another three with 7:25 on the clock to give the Flyers an 18-16 advantage. She took it upon herself to score three straight times for UD as we approached the midway point in the quarter.
• The Broncos hit a pair of free throws despite going almost four minutes without a field goal as they closed the gap to just three with under four to go.
• That margin held until not one, but two and-ones by senior Shantavia Dawkins made it a seven-point game, 32-25, just before half.
• UD shot 43 percent while holding WMU to 36 percent in the first 20 minutes that had nine lead changes.

3rd Quarter: Dayton 48, Western Michigan 41

• UD continued to feed the hot hand of Stephens to start the second half, but the Broncos honed in on her defensively.
• The Flyers were able to get the ball inside to Ibrahim instead, where she went to work adding to UD's lead.
• WMU cut the margin to three before another three by Jayda Johnson ended a scoring drought for UD heading into the media timeout.
• Stephens then hit her third three, giving her a season-high 13 points.
• After a 7-0 run by the Flyers, the Broncos were forced to call a timeout with 2:47 to go and a nine-point deficit, 44-35.
• Western Michigan continued to struggle from the field with another 3+ minute scoring drought.

4th Quarter: Dayton 65, Western Michigan 58

• Johnson drove and found Ibrahim for UD's first basket of the fourth, but the Broncos followed with a three to keep within six of the Flyers, 50-44.
• By the 7:00 mark, WMU used another three and a 6-0 run to make it a one-possession game.
• At the media timeout, Dayton led WMU 52-49 despite five turnovers in the quarter up to that point.
• Lear hit a pullup at the free throw line as the clock ticked under four minutes.
• The Broncos called a timeout with 2:25 to go and a 55-52 Flyer lead as they looked to regroup down the final stretch.
• Lear clinched the game with a three at the 0:51 mark to make it a 61-54 contest.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
16 and 6 – Nicole Stephens set or tied season highs with 16 points and six assists.  
8 – MG Talle set a new career high with eight rebounds to lead UD.
17 – Nayo Lear scored a team-high 17 points including 11 in the fourth quarter alone.
45.5% - Dayton shot 45.5 percent from the field while holding WMU to just 39.3 percent.
41 to 31 – The Flyers benefited from a +10 rebounding margin and scored 12 second-chance points off 13 offensive boards.
15 – UD had 15 assists in the game, the most since Nov. 11 at Xavier.

UP NEXT
The Flyers will return home to host the University of Evansville Sunday, Dec. 21 at 1 p.m. at UD Arena.

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