DAYTON - The University of Dayton women's basketball team will head back out on the road to take on VCU Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va.

SCOUTING THE FLYERS
Dayton travels to VCU midweek with a 4-19 record overall and 3-9 Atlantic 10 mark. The Flyers are on a two game losing skid and 2-7 on the road this 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 65.6 points per game and giving up 71.0 points to opponents. Dayton is shooting 40.6 percent overall, 33.9 percent from three point range, and 71.8 percent from the free throw line. UD is one of the top rebounding teams in the league with a +4.9 margin.

Dayton is led by a pair of double-double threats in senior Mariah Perez with 11.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, and sophomore Arianna Smith with 9.7 points and 8.4 boards each outing. Senior transfer Sydney Freeman is chipping in 10.3 points per game as well.

SCOUTING VCU
VCU sits just above the Flyers in the A-10 standings with a 4-8 league record and 7-17 record overall. The Rams have been a lot stronger at home than on the road with a 4-7 home mark. VCU has lost three contests in a row.

Head coach Beth O'Boyle is in her ninth season with the Rams after previous coaching stints at Stony Brook and Montclair State. She guided VCU to the A-10 Tournament title in 2021 and was A-10 Coach of the Year in 2019.

As a team, VCU is scoring 57.2 points each outing and allowing 62.6 points to opposing squads. The Rams are shooting 37.9 percent from the field, 26.8 percent from behind the arc, and 71.3 percent from the charity stripe. VCU faces a -2.3 turnover margin, but is outrebounding opponents.

The Rams are led by Sarah Te-Biasu with 16.1 points per game, but she has been battling an injury as of late. Janika Griffith-Wallace is contributing 8.1 points and 4.1 rebounds each outing as well.

LAST TIME OUT
Dayton is coming off a 74-62 loss at home to Saint Joseph's last Saturday. The Flyers kept the game close until the fourth when the Hawks pulled away. Three Flyers had 14 points in Mariah Perez, Anyssa Jones, and Sydney Freeman.

VCU were dominated throughout their last outing, a 63-31 loss at home to Rhode Island Sunday. The Rams were held to single digits in each of the four quarters while shooting 8.3 percent from three.

SERIES HISTORY
Dayton and VCU have met 16 times previously with the Flyers holding an 11-5 series advantage. UD defeated the Rams in their last meeting on March 5, 2022 in the A-10 Championship Semifinals, 59-48.

STATISTICAL RANKINGS
As a team, Dayton ranks 26th in the nation in rebounds per game, 33rd in defensive rebounding, and 65th in rebounding margin. Indiviudally, Mariah Perez is 19th in the country in offensive rebounds per game, 40th in total rebounding, and 45th in double-doubles.

WE'VE GOT AN AUDIENCE
On Feb. 8, 2023, the Flyers played in front of 11,635 fans at UD Arena while hosting Saint Louis. 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.

QUITE THE CROWD
Along with setting the single-game attendance record in program history this season, Dayton also leads the Atlantic 10 in average home attendance. The Flyers are averaging 2,643 fans per game, which ranks top 50 in the nation.

DOUBLING-UP
Senior Mariah Perez already has nine double-doubles this season, giving her nine for her career. She recorded double-digit points and rebounds in games against Northern Kentucky, Kentucky, Florida, Fairfield, Davidson, Duquesne, Loyola, Saint Louis, and Saint Joseph's already this season. On top of that, she was one point shy of three more against Ohio, Fordham, and St. Bonaventure.

UP NEXT
The Flyers return to UD Arena for the final home game of the season when they host La Salle Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.

FOLLOW #UDWBB ON SOCIAL
Follow the Flyers on Twitter @DaytonWBB; on Instagram DaytonWBB; and on Facebook at Dayton Women's Basketball.