DAYTON - The University of Dayton women's basketball team will host Illinois State University in its home opener on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. at UD Arena.

SCOUTING THE FLYERS
Dayton enters the game with an 0-1 record after a hard-fought defeat in the season opener on the road at Providence Monday. The Flyers were 10-2 at home last season.

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 this year, the Flyers are averaging 60.0 points per game and giving up 69.0 points to opponents. Dayton is shooting 37.7 percent overall, 31.3 percent from three point range, and 69.2 percent from the free throw line. The Flyers face -3.0 rebounding and turnover margins.

Dayton is led by redshirt junior Destiny Bohanon with 22.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as she is coming off a career-performance at Providence. Freshman Nayo Lear had a stellar collegiate debut with 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting off the bench as well.

SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE
Illinois State is coming off a 2021-22 season in which it went 19-4 overall and 12-6 in Missouri Conference Valley play. The Redbirds were 8-8 on the road and ended their season in a 98-58 loss against Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Head Coach, Kristen Gillespie, is heading into her sixth season at the helm of Redbird Women's basketball. She has an overall record of 87-61 with her last season below .500 being her first. She coached the Redbirds to their first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 14 years.

As a team, Illinois State averaged 65.0 points per game last season while giving up 63.8 points to their foes. The Redbirds shot 43.7 percent from the field, 33.0 percent from deep, and 75.6 percent from the line.

The Redbirds lost a key contributor from last season in Juliunn Redmond. Redmond played three years for Illinois State and averaged 17.8 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, and 3.2 assists per game. However, senior DeAnna Wilson played a huge role in the Redbirds successful season last year and is returning for the 2022-23 season. Wilson averaged 12.9 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game.

LAST TIME OUT
Dayton opened the 2022-23 campaign with a hard-fought 69-60 loss on the road at Providence Monday. Redshirt junior Destiny Bohanon had a team-high 22 points while freshman Nayo Lear added 20 points in her UD debut.

Illinois State hosted UIndy in an exhibition on Nov. 1 and earned a 77-58 win at Redbird Arena.  ISU shot 39.7 percent from the field and had 27 points on 22 turnovers in the victory. Paige Robinson had a team-high 27 points while DeAnna Wilson, Maya Wong, and Abbie Aalsma each had double-figure scoring games.

SERIES HISTORY
This is the fifth meeting in the series between the two teams with Dayton holding a 3-1 advantage. The Flyers have won two in a row, including last year's meeting in Normal, Ill. on Dec. 5, 78-67. The series started back in 1980 with an 86-64 victory at UD Arena.

STATISTICAL RANKINGS
Dayton ranks 54th in the country in blocks per game. Individually, Nayo Lear is 12th in the nation in field goal percentage while Destiny Bohanon is 16th in field goal attempts and 13th in minutes played.

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 654 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 head back out on the road to take on the University of Akron on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m.