DAYTON - The University of Dayton women's basketball team will open up the 2022-23 season on Monday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. against Providence College in Rhode Island. The game will be streamed live on FloHoops from Alumni Hall.

SCOUTING THE FLYERS
Dayton enters the year with a new coaching staff and seven new players, but expectations are still high after going 26-6 last season and winning the Atlantic 10 regular season title.

Head coach Tamika Williams-Jeter is in her first season in charge of her hometown Flyers, coming over after a year at Wittenberg. She has assistant coaching stops at Kansas, Kentucky, Penn State, and Ohio State.

As a team last year, the Flyers scored 65.8 points per game and held opponents to just 55.3 points per game. Dayton shot 40.1 percent overall, 34.8 percent from three point range, and 68.2 percent from the free throw line. UD had +5.8 rebounding and +1.1 turnover margins as well.

Dayton returns just four players from last year's team, led by senior Mariah Perez, who averaged 2.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game in 29 appearances. Senior transfer Sydney Freeman scored 11.1 points per game at Ball State last season in 31 starts.

SCOUTING PROVIDENCE
Providence is coming off a 2021-22 season in which it went 11-19 overall and 6-14 in Big East play. The Friars were 6-11 at home and ended the campaign on a five-game losing streak.

Head coach Jim Crowley is in his seventh season at Providence and returns a veteran squad with nine returners including five players with over 10+ starts last season. This year's team features five upperclassmen.

As a team, Providence averaged 59.9 points per game last season while giving up 63.9 points to opposing squads. The Friars shot 39.5 percent from the field, 29.2 percent from behind the arc, and 69.6 percent form the charity stripe. Providence matched opponents with 38.4 rebounds per game, but committed more turnovers at 18.0 each contest.

The top returner for the Friars is All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention and senior Janai Crooms, who averaged team highs with 13.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Sophomore Kylee Sheppard chipped in 9.4 points and hit 24 threes in her debut season as well.

LAST TIME OUT
Dayton ended its 2021-22 season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, falling 70-54 to Georgia in Ames, Iowa. The contest on March 18 ended the postseason run for the Flyers, who had defeated DePaul in the NCAA First Four just two days prior.

Providence fell in the first round of the Big East Tournament, 68-55, to No. 9 seed Georgetown. The Friars were upset as the No. 8 seed, despite having a career-high 21 points from Emily Archibald. That ended Providence's 2021-22 campaign.

SERIES HISTORY
This will be the third meeting between Dayton and Providence with the Flyers holding a 2-0 series advantage. The two teams last faced off in 2014 at UD Arena with Dayton coming out on top 72-56.

STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Dayton ranked seventh in the country last year in field goal percentage defense as well as top 20 in defensive rebounds, scoring defense, and turnovers per game.

SEASON OPENERS
The Flyers have won the last five season opening contests dating back to the 2017-18 season. Dayton has defeated the likes of Harvard, Colgate, Lipscomb, Morehead State, and Alabama A&M. This will be the second time in the last eight seasons the Flyers start off on the road.

FLYERS PICKED 10TH IN PRESEASON POLL
Dayton was picked to finish 10th in the 2022-23 Atlantic 10 Preseason poll. The Flyers were selected ahead of George Washington, Saint Louis, and A-10 newcomer Loyola Chicago. UMass was chosen as the preseason favorite with all 15-first place votes, followed by La Salle, Rhode Island, Fordham, and VCU.

NEW FACES
The Dayton women's basketball program hit reset after the 2021-22 season, both on the roster and on the coaching staff. The Flyers brought in new head coach Tamika Williams-Jeter, who added nine new members to her coaching and support staff. On top of that, only four players return from last year's student-athletes in Destiny Bohanon, Mariah Perez, Maliya Perry, and Shannon Wheeler. Coach Williams-Jeter added three freshmen signees and four transfers to complete the roster for this season.

FLYERS IN REGULAR SEASON LEAGUE PLAY
Dayton has won 140 of its last 168 regular season Atlantic 10 games (.833), 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 653 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.

FLYERS WIN 2022 A-10 REGULAR SEASON TITLE
Dayton won the regular season finale at home against Rhode Island on Feb. 26, clinching the Atlantic 10 title for the fifth time in the past six seasons, including three straight championships.

POSTSEASON EXPECTATION
The Flyers have made 15-consecutive postseason appearances between the NCAA Division I Tournament and the Women's National Invitational Tournament. Here are the past 15 campaigns
Year    Record    Postseason
2021-22    26-6    NCAA First Round (Advanced in First Four Game)    
2020-21    14-5    WNIT - 1st Round
2019-20    25-8    NCAA Tournament - Canceled 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

THE FIRST IN THE FIRST FOUR
For the first time ever, the 2021-22 NCAA Women's Basketball tournament held the First Four round similar to the men's tournament. Dayton was one of the four teams selected to compete in the opening games, and defeated DePaul 88-57 to earn the No. 11 seed. The Flyers went on to face No. 6 seed Georgia, who they eventually lost to, but they still earned one of the first victories of the NCAA Tournament last year.

70'S THE MAGIC NUMBER
Since the 2009-10 season, Dayton is 188-22 (.891) when scoring 70 or more points, including 11-0 in 2021-22. 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 2019-20 when reaching that mark.
2021-22    11-0
2020-21    4-2
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    185-22

WE'VE GOT AN AUDIENCE
On Dec. 5, 2019, the Flyers played in front of 10,554 fans at UD Arena while hosting Morehead State. The record-breaking crowd was due to the overwhelming success of UD's annual School Day game, a chance for local school-aged children to take a field trip with the Flyers.

UP NEXT
The Flyers will return home to host Illinois State on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. at UD Arena in the home opener.