Women’s Basketball Recap: Offensive Rebounds Push Flyers To Win Over GW

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By: Steve Miller – Sports Editor

Dayton women’s basketball improved to 7-0 in the Atlantic 10 with a 66-55 victory over George Washington Sunday afternoon at UD Arena.

After a cold second quarter, as UD clung to a two-point lead, the Flyers knew exactly what they needed in order to pull away from the Colonials.

An offensive rebound.

“Zero o-boards at half,” coach Shauna Green said after the game. “And we knew that wasn’t like us.”

It took several minutes after the break, during which the Flyer relinquished the lead to George Washington, but redshirt senior Alex Harris took care of the business at hand.

With the game tied at 41, guard Jenna Burdette pulled up in transition and clanged a three-point shot off the rim. Harris out-bodied her Colonial counterpart for the rebound. She dished it outside, and did the same thing seconds later after another miss.

This time, Jayla Scaife took the pass and converted a layup. And the Flyers never looked back.

“That’s exactly when we turned it, when we got those o-boards,” Green said. “ When [JaVonna Layfield] got one and Alex got a couple, and everyone’s flying around, that’s when we are at our best. That was a definite turning point and that’s when our energy just picked up.”

“Our team kind of lives off of offensive rebounds,” Harris said. “And at halftime, coach said to get on the glass, and that gave us a lot of energy. That’s our focus point, that gives us life.”

Dayton ended up out-rebounding GW by the game’s conclusion, 36-29, and 7-6 on the offensive side.

Rough Rivals

The gritty play between the two teams was familiar to the A-10 rivals. Last season, the Colonials defeated UD 52-39 in Washington, D.C. in another physical battle.

“It’s definitely a rivalry,” Harris said. “But George Washington, since I’ve been here, has always been a battle.”

Junior guard Lauren Cannatelli echoed the sentiment.

“I think it’s just always been like that. When I came in as a freshman, they instilled a rivalry kind of thing with us,” she said. “Since I came in, it’s always been a gritty [game].”

Cannatelli, along with fellow guard Jayla Scaife, led the Flyers with 17 points, including the team’s first six points of the game. Her shooting catalyzed Dayton’s first quarter offense, which was able to build an early lead until GW battled back in the second.

“I think it was just push the pace, we wanted to get up the floor on them,” Cannatelli said of the strategy. “Offensive transition was a big thing for us, and that’s how I got a couple of my three’s early.”

“I thought we had some really good glimpses tonight, and then I thought we got sloppy at times, especially in that second quarter,” Green said. “So it’s really about us. We’re not worried as much about the other teams, we’ll prep for them, but we have to figure out how we can be consistent for 40 minutes and defend with the intensity we need.”

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What’s next?

The Flyers visit Richmond Wednesday night for a road conference matchup. The Spiders are 2-4 in the A-10 this year.

Photos Courtesy of Griffin Quinn/Staff Photographer