The 2012-13 University of Dayton women's basketball team had a memorable season. With a perfect 14-0 conference record, The Flyers earned the program's first regular season Atlantic 10 championship title. They set the school-record for greatest number of wins in a season (28) since becoming a Division I program in 1986. Head Coach Jim Coach Jabir was named a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year after posting a career-high winning percentage (.903) with the sixth youngest team in the nation.
The Flyers won three in-season tournaments with a different MVP in each: DePaul's Maggie Dixon Classic (MVP: Amber Deane), Arizona State Classic (MVP: Sam MacKay) and the Dayton Marriott Classic (MVP: Ally Malott). UD defeated five BCS teams this season: from the Big East (DePaul and St. John's), Big Ten (Michigan State), Pac 12 (Arizona State) and SEC (Vanderbilt). The season also featured a 15-game winning streak which is one off the UD program record. UD advanced to its fourth consecutive NCAA tournament with the highest seed in program history at No. 7. Dayton advanced to the NCAA Second Round with a thrilling double overtime 96-90 win over host St. John's.
UD ARENA ADVANTAGE
Dayton went unbeaten at home this season, and improved its home court winning streak to 13 straight, which is the seventh best in NCAA Division I women's basketball. The Flyers averaged 2,739 fans per home game - the highest in the A-10 and Top 45 in the nation.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Dayton led the Atlantic 10 conference in scoring offence (75.9), scoring margin (+16.8), field goal percentages (.443), 3-point field goal percentage (.346), rebounding offense (42.7), assists (16.8), defensive rebounds (28.6), and 3-point field goals made (6.7). Freshman Amber Deane led the conference and was the freshman in the nation in field goal percentage (.556), while sophomore Andrea Hoover led the Atlantic 10 in 3-point field goal percentage (.403). Senior Sam MacKay was second for assist/turnover ratio (1.8) and third in assists (4.9) for the Atlantic 10 conference. UD's 75.9 ppg ranked 6th best in NCAA. The Flyers' win-loss percentage was 7th. They were also in the Top 20 in scoring margin (12th - +16.8), assists per game (12th - 16.8), and field goal percentage (15th - .443).
A-10 RECOGNITION
Dayton made school history by earning its first regular season Atlantic 10 Championship title. Coach Jim Jabir was named the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year and freshman Amber Deane was the league's Rookie of the Year. Senior Olivia Applewhite was named the Atlantic 10 Sixth Player of the Year, while Andrea Hoover was named First Team all-conference. Sophomore Ally Malott was named second team and Sam MacKay was a third team pick. Deane and fellow freshman Kelley Austria were named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team, marking the second consecutive season the Flyers have had two honorees on the team. Hoover was also named to the All-Academic Team.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
For 18 consecutive weeks the Flyers were named in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and USA Today Coaches Poll. The Flyers peaked in both polls with a No. 11 ranking and ended the season as No. 18 in the AP Top 25 Poll and No. 15 in the Coaches poll.
TOURNAMENT TIME
The Flyers received a No. 7 seed in their fourth consecutive NCAA berth. After a hard-fought battle in double overtime, the Flyers came out with a victory over No. 10 seed St. John's. The 96-90 victory gave the Flyers their second NCAA tournament win in school history. The team's tournament play came to an end in an 84-70 loss to No. 2 Kentucky.
300
Amber Deane ended her freshman season with 307 points, the second Flyer to score at least 300 during her rookie campaign since Justine Raterman scored 459 in 2008-09. Fellow teammate Andrea Hoover scored exactly 300 points in the 2011-12 season.
GOODBYE TO THREE SENIORS
The Flyers say goodbye to three seniors this season; Sam MacKay, Brittany Wilson and Olivia Applewhite. Wilson led the team in 3-point field goal percentage (.450). MacKay started every game this season and led the team in assists (4.9) and free throw percentage (.867). Applewhite was third in 3-point field goal percentage (.387) and second in rebounds (6.4) for the Flyers. They are the first Flyers to reach four consecutive NCAA Women's Basketball Tournaments. The trio amassed 97 victories and had a 46-10 record (.821 winning percentage) in Atlantic 10 games. They were part of the program's first A-10 Tournament Championship (2012) and A-10 Regular Season Championship (2013).
