Saint Louis battled back to within single digits after being down 20 early in the second quarter, but Dayton held on for the 58-50 victory in the semifinal match of the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship Saturday morning.

The Billikens moved to 19-13 on the season, while Dayton improved to 24-8 and advanced to the final game Sunday afternoon.

Ciaja Harbison led the Billikens with 17 points, including 3-of-3 from behind the arc. The sophomore also added three assists and three rebounds.

Rachel Kent connected on two 3-pointers, finishing with 10 points, while senior Kendra Wilken contributed eight.

Myriama Smith Traore pulled down a team-best nine rebounds, along with four points.

Jayla Scaife dropped a game-best 25 points (5-of-8 from three), while Kyla Whitehead collected a game-high 10 rebounds.

Saint Louis recorded the first four points of the game, but Dayton outscored the Billikens 23-6 the rest of the way, including a 9-0 spurt to end the quarter, and took a 23-10 lead after one. 

The scoring continued for the Flyers to begin the second frame, jumping out in front 33-13. SLU responded with an 11-0 run, including two treys by Rachel Kent, before Dayton collected the half's final field goal to stay ahead 35-24.

In a low-scoring third period, both teams tallied nine points, keeping the Billikens deficit at 11 heading into the fourth quarter.

A Harbison trey, followed by a Smith Traore layup brought the Billikens to within eight at 50-42, the closest they would get to the Flyers in the final minutes. Dayton took the game with a final score of 58-50.