Dayton trailed Davidson 20-19 at the first quarter and 35-32 at halftime. The Flyers took control with a 16-2 run in the first five minutes of the third quarter. Mariah Perez and Kyla Whitehead each scored four points in the run.
Dayton stretched its lead to as many as 11 points only to see Davidson end the quarter with a 9-0 run. The Flyers led 52-51 heading to the fourth quarter.
The game was tied at 57-57 when Jenna Giacone made two free throws with 3:40 to play. A basket by Giacone with 2:30 to go and then two free throws by Araion Bradshaw gave Dayton a 64-59 lead entering the final two minutes. Giacone and Bradshaw each made 4 of 4 free throws in the final 37 seconds to clinch the victory.
Giacone led the Flyers with 19 points. Whitehead scored 14. Bradshaw had 12 points. Perez and Erin Whalen each had 11 points.
Dayton will enter the A-10 tournament as the top seed. It will play the No. 8 or No. 9 seed in the quarterfinals at 11 a.m. March 12 at Virginia Commonwealth’s Siegel Center in Richmond, Va.
The Flyers will seek their fourth A-10 tournament championship and second in a row. It won the title last year at UD Arena. clinching its ninth NCAA tournament appearance only to see the tournament cancelled by the coronavirus pandemic.
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