Freshman Shoup-Hill leads explosive second quarter in Flyers win over Illinois State

Freshman forward Byrnn Shoup-Hill (No. 32, pictured Nov. 30) knocked down four threes in a dominant second quarter for the Flyers. Photo courtesy of Keegan Gupta, Flyer News.

Peter Burtnett | Sports Editor

The Dayton Flyers women’s basketball team, led by a 27-point second quarter fueled by freshman forward Brynn Shoup-Hill, defeated Illinois State 78-67 on Sunday in Normal, Ill.

Neither team could gain a definitive edge in the first quarter, and the Cardinals took a 19-17 lead into the second, boosted by nine points from graduate guard Erin Whalen.

A barrage of threes were knocked down by the Flyers, most of which were made by Shoup-Hill. In the quarter, the freshman was 4-4 from three, including a buzzer-beater to close the half and give the Flyers a 44-29 lead at halftime.

After the break, Illinois State responded with a 25-12 third quarter. In the quarter, Dayton shot just 25 percent from the field while Illinois State shot 50 percent from the field and 43 percent from three. Going into the final 10 minutes, the Flyers’ lead was cut down to 56-54.

The Cardinals cut the lead as low as one, but the Flyers then went on a quick 6-0 run. The run was capped by a jumper from Whalen, who finished with 18 points to lead the Flyers (Shoup-Hill finished with 14).

Once they led by seven, the Flyers never allowed the Cardinals to get within four points, making seven of eight free throws down the stretch to push ahead for a 78-67 win. Graduate guard Araion Bradshaw, who made three of those late free throws, finished with 10 points, while sophomore guard Makira Cook, who knocked down two late free throws, finished with 17 points.

For her performance (career-high 14 points on 4-4 shooting from three, with three rebounds), Shoup-Hill was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week.

The Flyers improve to 6-2 with the win, and stay on the road to face Florida in Gainesville, Fla., on Dec. 8 at 2 p.m.

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