Women’s Basketball: Flyers Survive Hacking Morgan State, Win Big

By: Steve Miller – Sports Editor

It’s no secret that the reigning Atlantic 10 champions run a fast offense. It was also apparent Friday night what Morgan State’s game plan to counteract the Flyers’ attack was–fouling. The Bears committed 32 fouls in the game, including six in the first two minutes of the second quarter, at which point the game’s pace practically drew to a halt.

But Dayton overcame a slow second quarter to defeat Morgan State 88-52 in an all-around dominant game. Defensively, the Flyers held Morgan State to 27 percent shooting and grabbed 40 rebounds. On the offensive end, six UD players scored in double digits and every Flyer that took the court scored at least one point.

“This is how they play and we knew it coming in. Last year they tried to slow the game down,” said head coach Shauna Green said after the game. “They knew they had to do something in order to slow us down and that was what they did.”

The physicality affected the Flyers’ pace in the second quarter, when Morgan State drew within three points. Dayton also lost the turnover battle in the first half, losing the ball 13 times to the Bears’ 10.

But the turning point came after halftime when UD outscored Morgan State 25-5 in the third quarter.

“Sometimes they have to be reminded what it is to play Dayton basketball,” Green said. “They came out ready to go in the second half. And that’s every single person. You have six people in double figures, our bench came in and played unbelievable it was just a great team win.”

Senior point guard Jenna Burdette led the team with 19 points, even though she sat out much of the second half as Dayton began pulling away.

“Anytime everybody can score on the team, that’s wonderful,” said senior guard JaVonna Layfield, who finished the game with 11 points and seven rebounds. “We have a nice rotation, a smooth rotation, where people just get in and do their job.”

Junior forward Maddy Dennis, who is playing an increased role this year as an upperclassman, scored a career-high 13 points in her 20 minutes of action.

“I think I’ve just tried to focus on my training and get better in practice every day, and just focus on one thing at a time,” Dennis said after the game. “Just chip away at the little things I need to work on like defense and improving my shot consistency.”

“Maddy has been practicing at a high level,” Green said of her forward. “Her ability to stretch inside out, and her defense is a million times better than last year so that was a huge improvement, and that was something she focused on in the offseason.”

By the end of the game, the first half’s inconsistencies were a distant memory as the Flyers were racking up points while the Bears were simply tallying fouls.

“With teams like this, they talk a lot of trash and that’s the only thing that they live by,” said Layfield of the aggression. “They have to try to affect the game somehow. They can’t do it skill-wise. They have to do it with their mouths. You just have to take it on the chin, smile through it all and not let it affect you.”
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The Flyers will need that kind of mental toughness for their next game, a Sunday matinee against Virginia.

“They’re a really good team and they come from a great conference. They’re big,” Green said. “They do a lot of things defensively. They’re going to play some buzz, which is like a trapping half-court zone, they’re going to play a lot more zone.”

UD lost to Virginia in Charlottesville last December, 66-56. But the Flyers, who are now 3-0 on the year, head into the matchup with confidence on their home court.

“I know we’re prepared,” Green said. “I know these guys are going to be ready.”

Photos Courtesy of Steve Miller/Sports Editor