Four takeaways from Dayton’s loss to Marquette in NCAA tourney

“I don’t think it’s really hit us yet,” said Burdette, who led the Flyers with 19 points in her final game. “Every time I give somebody a hug, the emotions come out.”

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Coach Shauna Green thanked the seniors after the game and gave Burdette a little hug, but Burdette said, “It was short because she didn’t want to cry.”

Every season ends like this for all but one team in the NCAA tournament. The disappointment for the ninth-seeded Flyers (23-7) was greater because they never mounted a serious challenge to No. 8 seed Marquette (24-9) in the final three quarters. Here are four takeaways from the game:

1. Turnovers hurt: Dayton committed 16 of its 19 turnovers in the first half. Every starter had at least three in the game.

“I think coach Green and the coaches did a good job of preparing us, practicing our press break and being mentally prepared for the pressure they were going to bring,” junior guard Lauren Cannatelli said. “I don’t think we executed very well. I think that was a major contributing factor.”

2. Turning point: Burdette picked up fouls on consecutive possessions midway through the first quarter. Dayton led 15-13 when she left the game after the second one. Marquette outscored Dayton 9-0 in the last three minutes of the quarter with Burdette on the bench. The Flyers had five turnovers during that span.

“I thought we came out great,” Green said. “Our start was exactly what we wanted to do. We executed really perfectly in terms of our press break, our half-court offense. We were controlling the tempo. When Jenna got that second foul, it was big. I thought we took the momentum change when that happened, and they went on that run.”

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3. Hot shooter: Marquette guard Natisha Hiedeman scored the team's first 13 points and finished with a career-high 32 points. She made 8 of 12 3-pointers.

“We ran every defense that we possibly could run today,” Green said. “We haven’t zoned. We zoned. We haven’t pressed. We pressed. We tried everything that we have in our arsenal. That’s why a team like Marquette is so dangerous. All five of their starters could go off like that.”

4. Comeback attempt: Dayton trailed 45-31 at halftime, and while it cut down on turnovers, it got no closer than 11 points in the second half. Marquette shot 64.3 percent from the field (9 of 14) in the third quarter.

The Golden Eagles advanced to the second round against No. 1 seed Louisville. That game will be played on Sunday at a time to be announced.

“Tonight we did a phenomenal job finding Natisha and playing off one another,” Marquette coach Carolyn Kieger said. “It’s fun. It’s fun to win in March. We’re excited to have a chance to play Louisville on their home floor.”