Pirates Battle Dayton To Close West Palm Invite

Game 12: ECU (3-8) vs. Dayton (5-7)
Date	Saturday, December 21
Time	1 p.m. (EST)
Location	West Palm Beach, Fla. (Rubin Arena)
Coverage	Live Stats
Information	ECU Notes
Social Media	Twitter: @ECUWomensHoops Instagram: @ECUWomensHoops Facebook: ECU Women's Basketball

WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. – With one game left before the holidays, the ECU women's basketball team will close the West Palm Beach Invitational against Dayton on Saturday afternoon at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

ECU (3-7) will be trying to snap a four-game losing streak as the Pirates dropped their opening game of the West Palm Beach Invitational to Northwestern on Friday. Taniyah Thompson was the most productive Pirate in the loss, scoring 15 points to bring her average to 11.5 ppg. That mark is only bested by Lashonda Monk's 14.0 ppg. Monk continues to be a defensive menace, as she is up to 42 steals this season, placing her fourth in the nation. Just behind her in 10th is Dominique Claytor, as Claytor has 35 takeaways. As a team, the Pirates rank second in the nation in steals per game, averaging 14.8. They are also second in turnovers forced (26.7) and third in turnover margin (+10.6). In the absence of Raven Johnson, Claytor has stepped up as ECU's top rebounder, averaging 5.6 rebounds. However, it has been rebound by committee, as five different players have led ECU in rebounding during a game, including Tiara Chambers against Northwestern. Monk and Claytor have also handed out assists, with Monk racking up 33 while Claytor has 32.

Dayton (5-7) also dropped its opening game of the West Palm Beach Classic, falling to Wake Forest 78-59 on Friday. It is already the fourth neutral site game that the Flyers have played this season, with Dayton going 1-3 in that span. Despite starting just two games, Erin Whalen leads Dayton in scoring, averaging 13.7 points and has a team-high 26 made three-pointers. Jayla Scaife is right behind her, averaging 12.7 points. Scaife (5.4) and Whalen (5.3) are also the team's second and third leading rebounders, while Kyla Whitehead is pulling down 5.8 boards. The Flyers have been strong on the boards as a whole, ranking 33rd in the country in total rebounds. Shakeela Fowler and Araion Bradshaw have been the primary providers, handing out 40 and 33 assists, respectively. Dayton is also in the top-75 of the nation in three-pointers made (75), ranking 71st.

It will be just the third all-time meeting between the Pirates and the Flyers, and the first since 1990. The Pirates won both of the prior contests, taking a 64-54 win at the 1987 Reebok Roundball Classic and then claiming a 100-80 home win during the 1990-91 campaign. Dayton will be the second Atlantic 10 opponent on ECU's schedule, as the Pirates fell at VCU earlier this season. All-time, ECU is 69-68 against current Atlantic 10 opponents, with the record buoyed by 26 wins over George Mason and tanked by 25 losses against Richmond.

Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m., at Palm Beach Atlantic's Rubin Arena.

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Players Mentioned

Tiara Chambers

Dominique Claytor

Raven Johnson

Lashonda Monk

Taniyah Thompson

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