FAIRFAX, Va. – Nicole Cardaño-Hillary just earned a new nickname – Big Shot Nikki.

The George Mason sophomore sunk a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Patriots to a 54-51 victory over Dayton on Sunday at EagleBank Arena. Cardaño-Hillary scored a game-high 21 points and drained a 3-pointer from the corner as time expired as the Patriots (15-12, 7-7 Atlantic 10) held off a furious comeback by the Flyers. 

"I don't remember the last time I hit a buzzer beater," Cardaño-Hillary said. "It felt good. I wasn't worried about who was coming. I was focused on that shot. It feels great, all my team running up and hugging me, and cheering for me. That's an incredible moment that I'll never forget."

Dayton (14-11, 9-5) erased a 12-point, fourth-quarter deficit and tied the game with 2.4 seconds left on Shakeela Fowler's floater in the lane. Mason head coach Nyla Milleson called a timeout to advance the ball to halfcourt and set up the game-winning play.

Junior Sarah Kaminski inbounded the ball and passed to Cardano-Hillary, who started on the low block but shed her defender with a sharp cut to the right. She received the ball behind the 3-point line with her back to the basket, turned and uncorked a high-arching shot over a Dayton defender and into the net.

Cardano-Hillary was swarmed by her teammates on the far side of the court as the Patriots won their second straight game and defeated Dayton for the first time in three years and just the second time in eight total meetings.

"(The plan) was to get the ball to Nikki," Milleson said. "You got Sarah Kaminski, she is our best in-bounder without a question. So it was for Nikki. I kind of thought she might put the ball on the floor, but that's her game, that little step back 3. She was on balance, she was on rhythm. I think they thought she was going to put the ball on the floor too. Some games (the shots) go (in), and some games they don't. We're fortunate today that "Big Shot" Nikki made a big shot."

Cardano-Hillary, who leads the Atlantic 10 with 20.3 points a game, also grabbed six rebounds, dished out four assists and nabbed two steals. Junior Alexsis Grate added a season-high 13 points off the bench and sophomore Camarie Gatling had 10 points and three blocked shots. Junior Jacy Bolton grabbed 12 rebounds and recorded two steals.

Fowler scored 15 points for Dayton, which won the A-10 regular-season championship last year and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Mason jumped in front for good with a 22-4 advantage in the second quarter. The Fylers shot just 7.7 percent (1 of 13) and were 0 for 6 from 3-point range in the period. For the game, Dayton shot only 33.9 percent from the field.

With two regular-season games remaining, the Patriots are currently in a three-way tie for seventh place with Saint Joseph's and George Washington at 7-7 in conference games. Finishing in the top eight would guarantee Mason a first-round home game in the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship on March 5.

Mason hosts Saint Joseph's at 4 p.m. on Wednesday at EagleBank Arena in its final home game of the regular season.