Dec. 17, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. - Stephanie Miller scored eight of her game-high 16 points in overtime, including back-to-back three-pointers that gave Dayton a lead it would never relinquish, as the Flyers snuck past the Northwestern women's basketball team for a 56-49 overtime victory at Welsh-Ryan Arena Tuesday afternoon.
The loss drops the Wildcats to 4-4 overall while Dayton improves to 7-2. Kristin Ambrose (Minnetonka, Minn./The Blake School) led NU with 12 points, while Samantha McComb (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) added 11.
Sarah Kwasinski (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) contributed nine points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots for Northwestern. Melissa Culver (Littleton, Colo./Heritage) tallied seven points, seven rebounds and six assists for the 'Cats.
With the Wildcats holding a slim 47-46 lead in the extra session, Miller hit a three-pointer with 1:51 remaining to give Dayton the lead. Following an NU miss, Miller knocked down another shot from behind the arch to put the Flyers up by five.
McComb hit a pair of free throws with 20 seconds left to get the 'Cats to within 52-49, but Dayton hit all four of their attempts from the charity stripe to seal the victory. The Flyers hit on 3-of-6 field goal attempts in the overtime, compared to 1-of-6 for Northwestern.
Despite limiting the Flyers to four-of-26 shooting in the first half (15.4 percent), the Wildcats trailed 20-19 at halftime. NU led 17-10 with just under seven minutes remaining in the opening half when Dayton went on a 10-0 run over a span of 6:17.
Northwestern led 39-34 with 4:04 remaining in the second half, but a three-pointer by Miller and a pair of free throws by Natassia Alcius tied the game with 3:28 left. All that both teams could manage through the remainder of regulation were three free throws apiece.
The Wildcats return to action at 6 p.m. Friday when they take on Morehead State in the opening round of the Denver Classic in Denver, Colo.