DAYTON - The University of Dayton women's basketball team will open the 2020-21 season on Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 6 p.m. at Morehead State University.

SCOUTING THE FLYERS
Dayton was picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll this year after going 25-8 last season. The Flyers were 15-1 in A-10 play and 14-2 at home in 2019-20.

Head coach Shauna Green is in her fifth season in charge of the Flyers and was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year last season, her second time at UD.

As a team last year, the Flyers averaged 64.4 points per game and held opponents to 57.3 points each contest. Dayton shot 38.1 percent overall, 33.1 percent from three, and 71.2 percent from the free throw line. The Flyers benefited from a +3.8 rebounding margin and was the top rebounding team in the A-10.

Dayton's top returner is redshirt senior Erin Whalen who earned First Team All-A-10 preseason honors after scoring 12.2 points per game and shooting 38.6 percent from three. Junior Kyla Whitehead chipped in 7.2 points and 6.2 rebounds in 32 starts last season as well.

SCOUTING MOREHEAD STATE
Morehead State finished the 2019-20 season with a 10-20 record overall and 6-12 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Eagles found much of their success at home, going 7-8 at Johnson Arena.

Head coach Greg Todd enters his seventh season in charge of the Eagles.

Last season, Morehead State scored 64.3 points each outing and allowing 66.1 points to opposing teams. The Eagles shot 37.2 percent from the floor, 26.2 percent from behind the arc, and 73.1 percent from the charity stripe. MSU outrebounded teams +1.2, but had a -0.5 turnover margin.

MSU returns leading scorer Jazzmyn Elston who scored 11.7 points per game last season. Ariel Kirkwood contributed 10.4 points and 8.5 boards each contest as well.

LAST TIME OUT
Dayton defeated VCU in the 2020 A-10 Championship game at UD Arena in a 52-48 thriller on March 6. Kyla Whitehead had team highs of 13 points and 10 rebounds to earn All-Tournament team honors.

Morehead State ended the 2019-20 season with a 64-58 loss at Eastern Kentucky Feb. 29. The Eagles lost their final two games of the season.

THE SERIES
Dayton and Morehead State have met 11 times previously with the Flyers having a narrow 6-5 lead. UD was victorious in last year's meeting on Dec. 5 with a 58-41 win over the Eagles.

STATISTICAL RANKINGS
In 2019-20, the Flyers ranked 22nd in the nation in rebounds, 33rd in scoring defense, and 40th in field goal percentage defense. Individually, Erin Whalen was third in the league in three pointers attempted and fourth in makes.

FLYERS SWEEP A-10 TITLES
Last season the Flyers won both the regular season and tournament titles in the Atlantic 10 for the second time in program history, both in Coach Green's tenure. UD earned the No. 1 seed in the A-10 Tournament and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.

COACH GREEN NAMED A-10 COACH OF THE YEAR
Dayton head coach Shauna Green was named 2020 A-10 Coach of the Year for the second time in four seasons this year after guiding her team to the regular season title and 15-1 A-10 mark.

POSTSEASON EXPECTATION
The Flyers have made 13-consecutive postseason appearances between the NCAA Division I Tournament and the Women's National Invitational Tournament. Here are the past 13 campaigns
Year    Record    Postseason
2019-20    25-8    NCAA Tournament - Tournament Cancelled due to COVID-19
2018-19    17-14    WNIT - 1st Round
2017-18    23-6    NCAA Tournament - 1st Round
2016-17    22-10    NCAA Tournament - 1st Round
2015-16    14-15    WNIT - 1st Round
2014-15    27-6    NCAA Tournament - Elite Eight
2013-14    23-8    NCAA Tournament - 1st Round
2012-13    28-3    NCAA Tournament - 2nd Round
2011-12    23-7    NCAA Tournament - 1st Round
2010-11    21-12    NCAA Tournament - 1st Round
2009-10    25-8    NCAA Tournament - 1st Round
2008-09    21-14    WNIT - 2nd Round
2007-08    25-9    WNIT - 1st Round

PRESEASON POLL
Dayton was picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll behind conference favorites VCU and ahead of Saint Louis, Davidson, Duquesne, and Fordham. The Flyers received two first-place votes.

PRESEASON HONORS
The Atlantic 10 released its preseason all-conference teams and recognized a trio of Flyers. Redshirt senior Erin Whalen earned First Team honors while fellow redshirt senior Araion Bradshaw was named Third Team and All-Defensive Team. Junior Kyla Whitehead joined Bradshaw on the Third Team as well.

70'S THE MAGIC NUMBER
Since the 2009-10 season, Dayton is 170-20 (.898) when scoring 70 or more points, including 11-1 in 2016-17. During the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, the Flyers only lost one game per season when scoring at least 70 points, and dropped only two games in 2009-10 when reaching that mark.
2019-20    10-2
2018-19    12-2
2017-18    15-2
2016-17    11-1
2015-16    10-2
2014-15    24-2
2013-14    19-4
2012-13    21-1
2011-12    13-1
2010-11    15-1
2009-10    19-2
TOTAL    170-20

NEW TO THE STAFF
Head coach Shauna Green announced the addition of Maya Solomon to the women's basketball program as the new Director of Operations in October 2020. Solomon comes to UD after serving the past two years as graduate assistant for the University of North Carolina-Greensboro women's basketball team. There, she received her Master's in Applied Arts & Sciences in May 2020. While at UNC-Greensboro, Solomon was part of the program's first regular season conference title since 2002, going 21-8.

Prior to her time in North Carolina, Solomon attended Maryville University in St. Louis, Mo., graduating in 2018 in Sports Business Management. She was a four-year varsity letter winner on the women's basketball team and received the team's Senior Award in 2018 while also serving as a captain on the team.

She does have a previous connection with Dayton however as Maya's father, Anthony, currently serves as the Associate Head Coach on the men's basketball staff at UD.

FRESHMEN DUO TO MISS 202-21 SEASON
Dayton freshmen Bailee Adkins and Anna LeMaster will redshirt for the 2020-21 season due to an injury in the preseason.

DAYTON ADDS AUBURN TRANSFER PERRY
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Maliya Perry was high school teammates with current Flyer Kyla Whitehead at Pickerington Central High School. There she was the No. 98 ranked prospect by Prospects Nation and the No. 28 ranked guard nationally by ESPN HoopGurlz. Perry guided her high school to a state championship in 2018 and runner-up finish in 2019. She earned Columbus Dispatch All-Metro team honors. Perry is a 6-0 forward who played in three games at Auburn this season before transferring. She shot 50 percent from the field and was perfect from three-point range. She enrolled at Dayton for the spring semester of 2020 and is eligible to play in December of this season.

UP NEXT
The Flyers will host Central Michigan in the first home game of the season at UD Arena on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m.