The Flyers lead Davidson (12-6, 4-0) and preseason favorite and defending regular-season champion Virginia Commonwealth (9-8, 4-0) by a half game. Saint Louis (10-8, 3-2) fell into a tie for seventh with Duquesne (12-6, 2-3).
Dayton won despite losing a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter. It led 42-27 after a jump shot by Jayla Scaife with 9:29 to play. Saint Louis then began a 14-0 run, cutting the deficit to 42-41 with 4:15 to play. A jump shot by Rachel Kent with 1:58 to go tied the game at 45-45.
Dayton trailed 47-45 when Julia Chandler tied the game on a basket with 53 seconds left. After a missed shot by Ciaja Harbison, Dayton got the ball back and called timeout with 27 seconds left.
Whalen finished with a team-high 11 points. Jayla Scaife scored seven.
Dayton returns to action at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday against George Washington (7-10, 1-2) in Washington, D.C., and plays its next home game at noon Jan. 26 against Fordham (10-6, 2-1).
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