Shooting Woes Doom UD Women’s Basketball Against UConn

Brandon Heath
Sports Staff Writer

UD Women’s Basketball (cover photo) lost to the University of Connecticut Tuesday night. Courtesy of Brandon Heath 

It was a tale of two different shooting nights as Dayton Women’s Basketball lost to No. 4 UConn 75-37 on Tuesday. The Flyers ended the game shooting a mere 20 percent from the floor and 16 percent from beyond the arc, compared to the Huskies, who shot 50 percent from the field and 53 percent from deep.

“We got open shots on some of the defensive mistakes they made and we didn’t make them pay,” said head coach Shauna Green. “You shoot 20% and you can’t beat a lot of teams; you sure as hell can’t beat UConn shooting 20%.”

The Flyers kept it close throughout the first quarter, but a 13-0 UConn scoring run with four minutes left in the quarter halted their momentum. The Flyers were then held scoreless for the first seven minutes of the second quarter, going into the half down by 19 points. One bright spot for the Flyers was redshirt junior Jenna Giacone, who stopped the second quarter scoring drought with a three-pointer and adding another three just before the half.

See also- Red-hot UD Men’s Basketball Holds Down Virginia Tech Hokies in Maui Invitational Semifinal

“We came out with a game plan and we had some ebbs and flows to that, but we just had to be aggressive,” Giacone said. “We took open shots, didn’t knock down as many as we wanted to, but we kept working and didn’t give up against one of the best teams in the country.”

Giacone finished the game with 11 points and four rebounds. Senior Jayla Scaife led the Flyers with 12 points and six rebounds. Megan Walker had a double-double for the Huskies with 23 points and 12 rebounds, while teammates Christyn Williams and Olivia Nelson-Ododa had 14 points a piece.

The loss moves Dayton to 3-3 on the season. They will travel to the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Florida, where they will square off with No. 23 Gonzaga on Friday at 1:30 pm. UConn remains undefeated at 6-0 with their next game coming against Seton Hall.