Freshman Katie Rutan helped No. 10 Xavier put forth one of its best effort this season.
Rutan scored 16 points, hitting five 3-pointers, as Xavier routed Dayton 74-49 on Saturday. The victory capped off a 7-0 month for the Musketeers - their first perfect January in school history.
Xavier (16-3, 6-0 Atlantic 10) outrebounded the Flyers 56-30 while limiting them to just 26.2 percent shooting.
``We had great energy today,'' said Xavier head coach Kevin McGuff. ``Those numbers are indicative of that. This is the best we've played in a long time. We'll be a very hard team to beat if we do this.''
Amber Harris led Xavier with 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Ta'Shia Phillips added 16 points and a team-leading 15 rebounds for the Musketeers who won their seventh straight.
Dee Dee Jernigan contributed seven points and 10 rebounds off the bench for Xavier, which now has won 12 of the past 15 meetings with the Flyers.
Kristin Daugherty scored 13 points to lead Dayton (16-5, 4-2).
Harris scored seven of Xavier's first 10 points to stake the Musketeers to an early lead. Dayton's Justine Raterman hit a 3-pointer just before the shot-clock buzzer to bring the Flyers to within one point, 12-11.
Consecutive 3-pointers by Rutan gave Xavier a 31-17 advantage - its largest lead of the half. The Musketeers led 33-20 on Phillips' put-back just before the buzzer.
``I was kind of wondering how long we could maintain our highest level of play,'' McGuff said. ``I got a pretty good indication of that today.''
The Flyers began the second half with a 6-0 run to get within seven points. But the Flyers' comeback was halted by a three-point play from Harris.
Rutan helped Xavier put the game out of reach beginning with her third 3-pointer which made the score 42-28 with 13:52 remaining.
``It's kind of my role to be a spark off the bench,'' Rutan said. ``I feel like I can create some energy for the team.''
Rutan later converted a four-point play when she hit a 3-pointer from the right wing and was fouled by Patrice Lalor. Rutan hit the free throw to give the Musketeers a 62-34 lead.
``That's why she's here, to make those shots,'' said McGuff. ``She's a tremendous shooter. I feel like she's getting more comfortable on both sides of the court.''
