DAYTON - Dayton will open up the 2017-18 season on the road at the Maine Tip-Off Tournament in Orono, Maine. The Flyers will take on Harvard University Friday at 8 p.m. in Memorial Gym before facing either Maine or Tulane on Saturday, depending on the outcome of both games Friday. The time for game two is also to be announced. In 2016-17, Dayton won the regular season and tournament titles in the Atlantic 10 Conference, and earned a berth in the NCAA Division I tournament.

ABOUT THE FLYERS
Head coach Shauna Green is in her second season at the helm of the Flyers after going 22-10 in her first campaign last year. The WBCA National Rookie Coach of the Year returns an experienced squad with three seniors, six juniors, and three starters.

Last season as a team, the Flyers ranked 13th in the nation in field goal percentage defense, holding opposing teams to 35 percent from the field. Dayton outscored opponents by a +6.6 margin to go with a +5.0 rebounding advantage. UD shot 39.4 percent from the floor, 34.5 percent from three point range, and 68.3 percent from the free throw line.

The Flyers are led by the 2017 A-10 Tournament Most Outstanding Performer and preseason First Team All-Conference, senior guard Jenna Burdette. Burdette averaged 12.0 points and 4.7 assists last season. Senior forward JaVonna Layfield also returns her 8.3 points and 7.6 rebounds while senior forward Alex Harris chipped in 8.3 rebounds and is a preseason All-Defensive team honoree

SCOUTING HARVARD
The Flyers open the 2017-18 season with the Harvard Crimson, who went 21-9 last season and finished the year ranked No. 49 in the RPI. Harvard was 8-6 in Ive League play and found much of its success at home, going 10-2. Veteran head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith is in her 36th season in charge of the Crimson and is the winningest coach in Ivy League history.

Overall, the Crimson ranked 24th in the nation in field-goal percentage defense and 29th in rebounds per game. Harvard limited opposing teams to 60.6 points each game and 36.2 percent from the floor. Offensively, the Crimson scored 63.8 points each contest and shot 39.3 percent from the floor, 31.4 percent from three-point range, and 68.5 percent from the charity stripe.

Harvard returns much of its scoring from last season, led by sophomore guard Kate Benzan, who averaged 13.4 points, 4.2 assists, and 34.6 minutes per game in her debut campaign. Junior Madeline Raster returns 10.6 points and 4.8 rebounds each contest. The Crimson only lost one starter from last year in senior Destiny Nunley.

SCOUTING MAINE
Maine enters the season with a relatively young team with nine underclassmen. The Bears went 18-16 last season and 9-7 in conference play. They had the majority of their success at home, going 10-2, and struggled on the road, going 3-13. Head coach Amy Vachon is in her first season as the interim head coach, taking over for Richard Barron, who is on medical leave.

Last season, the Black Bears scored 59.9 points per game and held opponents to 58.0 each contest.  They shot 40.4 percent from the floor, 29.8 percent from three-point range, and 65.9 percent from the free throw line. Maine matched its opponents in rebounding with 34.9 each contest, but had to overcome a negative turnover margin.

The Bears lost their top two scorers from last season, but return sophomore guard Blanca Millan, who contributed 8.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Redshirt junior guard Tanesha Sutton started all 34 games last year and chipped in 7.4 points and a team-high 4.8 rebounds each contest.

SCOUTING TULANE
Tulane comes into the year after an undefeated preseason and will look to carry on from its success in 2016-17. Under the direction of 25th-year head coach Lisa Stockton, the Green Wave won 18 games last year and advanced to the third round of the WNIT before falling to Alabama. Tulane went 12-5 at home and 1-2 in neutral contests as well.

Overall, the Green Wave averaged 63.7 points per game and allowed 62.2 to opponents. Tulane had to bounce back from a -2.1 rebounding margin and a -0.9 turnover margin, but shot 42.7 percent from the field, 32.8 percent from deep, and 70 percent from the free throw line.

Senior guard Kolby Morgan led the way after scoring 19.2 points per game to go with 5.5 rebounds each contest. The second-team all-conference selection ranked fourth in the AAC and 30th in the nation in scoring last year. The Green Wave must replace Leslie Vorpahl, who chipped in 11.8 points and ranked 19th in the country with 6.1 assists per game. Harlyn Wyatt and Courtnie Latham both made over 30 starts last season and will play bigger roles in 2017-18.

LAST TIME OUT
Dayton played its only preseason game last Saturday at home and picked up a 91-65 win over Findlay at UD Arena. The Flyers had six players in double figures, led by sophomore Jayla Scaife's 17 points while senior JaVonna Layfield had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. UD shot 50.8 percent from the field in the win.

Harvard last played on March 19, 2017 when the Crimson fell to St. John's, 62-57 in the second round of the WNIT. After a first round win at New Hampshire, Harvard got off to a slow start against St. John's, being outscored 19-9 in the first quarter. The Crimson surged late in the fourth, but came up short in the effort, despite 13 points and seven assists by Katie Benzan.

Maine lost its lone exhibition contest, 68-49, to Stonehill College on Saturday at home. The Bears were outscored in the second quarter, 24-15, after scoring just eight points in the opening period, and were unable to overcome the deficit. Nobody scored in double-digits for Maine.

Tulane finished up its preseason with a 65-51 win over South Alabama in an exhibition on Sunday. The Green Wave went undefeated over its two exhibitions, both of which took place at home. Tulane shot 56.3 percent from behind the arc en route to the double-digit victory. Kolby Morgan led the way with 23 points and hit four three's.

THE SERIES
The Flyers and Crimson are meeting for just the second time in program history, having previously faced off on Dec. 30, 2010. In a game that took place at UD Arena, the Flyers defended their home court with a 101-80 victory.

Dayton and Maine have also played just once previously with the Flyers picking up a 58-37 win over the Bears in Florida at the Gulf Coast Showcase on Nov. 27, 2015. It was the fourth-straight victory for Dayton on the season and one of two wins at that specific tournament.

UD and Tulane have not met in program history. Saturday is potentially the first ever meeting.