Courtesy of Toledo Athletic Communications
Dayton 79, Toledo 57
DAYTON, OH – Toledo suffered a 79-57 setback at Dayton (5-3) on Wednesday morning before 7,035 screaming school kids in UD Arena. With the loss, the Rockets fall to 3-3 on the season.
The Flyers (5-3) broke open a one-point game with a 22-6 run midway through the second half to claim their third-consecutive victory against UT. The home team was clinging to a 40-39 advantage with 15:14 remaining in regulation when they went on the game-changing burst to snap Toledo’s mini two-game winning streak.
Dayton’s “Big Three” of Andrea Hoover, Ally Malott and Jenna Burdette combined to score every point in the run to put the contest out of reach. Hoover led the charge with eight points, while Malott and Burdette totaled seven points each to create a 62-45 lead at the 6:08 mark.
The closest the Rockets would get the remainder of the non-league matchup was 14 points.
Sophomore Janice Monakana paced Toledo with a season-tying best 14 points off the bench and senior Inma Zanoguera had 13 points with a game-high 11 rebounds to register her second double-double in 2014-15.
Monakana was lethal shooting the ball from the perimeter, knocking down a collegiate-best four three-point field goals. Her previous best effort from beyond the arc was two triples on three occasions.
Zanoguera has now posted a double-double in two of the last three games. The two-time all-league honoree also joined elite company in school history during the late stages of the first half when she became the 25th player to surpass the 1,000-point barrier.
As a team, UT shot a respectable 41.2 percent (21-of-51) from the field, including 36.8 percent (7-of-19) from beyond the arc, and 66.7 percent (8-of-12) from the free throw line.
Unfortunately for the Rockets, they struggled on the glass and allowed the Flyers to finish with 16 offensive caroms, which they translated them into 22 points.
Hoover led Dayton with a game-high 26 points, followed by Malott with 15 and Burdette had 10.
The Flyers also held a decisive advantage at the charity stripe to help them win their fourth-straight game. UD went 22-of-31 at the charity stripe, compared to Toledo at 8-of-12.
The teams traded baskets at the outset, before UD benefited from a 9-2 run to open up a 22-13 lead at the 8:11 mark. Malott fueled the burst with four points, while Amber Deane hit a triple and Kelley Austria had a pair to force the Rockets into a timeout.
UT needed a spark to stay close against a tall and athletic UD team, and Monakana delivered with a pair of triples to set the margin at 34-27 at the intermission.
Monakana tallied a team-high eight points in the opening half to lead the Midnight Blue & Gold, while Zanoguera was close behind with seven.
The London, England native remained red-hot shooting the basketball to begin the second half and knocked down another pair of treys to make the difference 40-39 and set the stage for the UD’s game-changing run.
UT will return to action this weekend, Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 13-14, to host the third-annual Glass City Classic in Savage Arena.
The Rockets will entertain 2014 NCAA Tournament participant Idaho (4-3) and Detroit (2-4) as part of the two-day tournament. Former Rocket Kristi Zeller (2005-08) is an assistant coach for the Vandals. Southeast Missouri State (3-5) is the other team competing in the Classic.
Both of Toledo’s contests this weekend will tip off at 2:30 p.m, while the other matchups will start at Noon.
The Rockets won the inaugural event two years ago, before Villanova captured the title last season.
