DAYTON - The University of Dayton women's basketball team hosts St. Bonaventure in the Atlantic 10 opener on Friday, Jan. 1 at 5 p.m. at UD Arena. The New Year's Day game will be streamed on ESPN+.

SCOUTING THE FLYERS
Dayton enters the contest with a 1-1 record after winning at Morehead State to open the season, but falling at home to Akron in its last outing on Dec. 6.

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, the Flyers are averaging 72.5 points per game and holding opponents to 67.0 points per contest. Dayton is shooting 42.9 percent overall, 27.0 percent from three point range, and 62.3 percent from the free throw line. UD has a +8.5 rebounding advantage and is committing fewer turnovers than opponents as well.

Dayton is led by redshirt senior Erin Whalen, who ranks top 20 in the nation with 25.5 points per game and shooting 46.7 percent from three. Fellow senior Jenna Giacone is chipping in 11.0 points and 5.5 boards per game.

SCOUTING ST. BONAVENTURE
St. Bonaventure continues its conference slate with a 1-3 record on the season after having already faced Duquesne to start their year on Dec. 11, when they fell 71-63. The Bonnies' lone win came against Binghamton at home.

Head coach Jesse Fleming is in his fifth season at his alma mater and has one of his most veteran teams with six upperclassmen and four returning starters.

This year, the Bonnies are scoring 59.8 points each outing and allowing 64.8 points to opposing teams. SBU is shooting 38.7 percent from the floor, 30.8 percent from behind the arc, and 64.1 percent from the charity stripe. The Bonnies have slight rebounding and turnovers disadvantages.

Leading the way this year is Asianae Johnson with 13.0 points and 3.5 assists per game while Tori Harris is contributing 12.8 points and 7.3 boards each outing. The Bonnies have had 13 different players see action this year.

LAST TIME OUT
Dayton suffered a heartbreaking 77-74 defeat at home to Akron on Dec. 6 after coming back from a 17-point deficit. Erin Whalen had a game-high 26 points, but it wasn't enough as the Zips hit 10 threes in the first half alone.

St. Bonaventure was dealt a similar blow in its last game with a 60-57 loss at St. John's on Dec. 22. The Bonnies led at the half, but were unable to hold despite double-digit scoring performances from Tori Harris, Asianae Johnson, and Deja Francis.

THE SERIES
Dayton and St. Bonaventure have played 28 times previously with the Flyers winning 18 times and the Bonnies winning 10 contests. UD has won four meetings in a row including last year's contest at UD Arena, 78-51.

STATISTICAL RANKINGS
This season the Flyers rank sixth in the nation in fewest turnovers and 17th in both fewest fouls and blocked shots. Individually, Erin Whalen is ninth in the country in points per game and 17th in three-point field goals per game. Araion Bradshaw is 14th in minutes played per game.

OFF TO A HOT START
Dayton has found much success under Coach Green in the month of January, going 28-2 in her first four seasons as head coach of the Flyers. That includes going undefeated in three of the four years.

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.

SHORTENED NON-CONFERENCE PLAY
The Flyers only had two non-conference games and no exhibition contests due to COVID concerns. Dayton opened the season at Morehead State on Nov. 25  with a victory before dropping the home opener to Akron on Dec. 6.

BRADSHAW HELPS START ATHLETES DRIVING CHANGE
Redshirt senior Araion Bradshaw was one of a few Atlantic 10 women's basketball players to start Athletes Driving Change, a minority female, student-run organization dedicated to racial and social injustice on campuses in the A-10. Their mission is to create change through education, action, and service. Bradshaw also serves on the A-10 Commission on Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

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.

FLYERS RECEIVE A-10 HONORS
The Flyers had a trio of student-athletes recognized with A-10 accolades with Jayla Scaife being named First Team All-Conference and All-Defensive team, Erin Whalen named Second Team All-Conference and All-Academic, and Araion Bradshaw named All-Defensive team.

FLYERS IN REGULAR SEASON LEAGUE PLAY
Dayton has won 114 of its last 140 regular season Atlantic 10 games (.812), a streak that dates back to a 97-46 win over Rhode Island on Jan. 7, 2012, and includes a perfect 14-0 mark in conference play during the 2012-13 season.

THREE POINTS OF EXCELLENCE
Dayton has hit at least one three-point shot in 603 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 2, 2001, the longest streak in the Atlantic 10 Conference and one of the top streaks in the nation. The Flyers made a program-record 15 three-point field goals against Buffalo in the Connecticut World Vision Classic on Nov. 25, 2011. Dayton tied the record with 15 vs. Wright State on Nov. 28, 2012.

UP NEXT
The Flyers will host Duquesne Sunday, Jan. 3 at UD Arena for a 12 p.m. tipoff between two teams picked to finish in the top four this season. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.