Dayton Flyers
Atlantic 10 (23-6, 12-2)
Dayton has been a pretty consistent team this year. They have beaten the teams they should and do not have many bad losses on the schedule. That may not make the Flyers a great team, but it does make them dangerous. This is an experienced group who, with a little luck, can beat some better teams on any given day.
Big Wins: 1/10 at St. Joseph’s (65-51), 3/4 vs Temple (66-63), 3/5 vs St. Bonaventure (56-53)
Bad Losses: 11/13 at Toledo (51-61), 11/16 at Cincinnati (64-75), 1/15 Temple (57-61)
Coach: Jim Jabir (9 seasons at Dayton)
Why They Can Surprise:
Dayton has one of the deepest frontcourts in basketball and Coach Jim Jabir has the luxury of riding the hot hand and mixing and matching his frontcourt depending on the competition. Justine Rateman is the key up front. She is a dynamic scorer and very tough to guard. Rateman, at 6-1, can shoot over smaller defenders and is not afraid to mix it up in the paint against anybody. Reserve center Cassie Sant is the more traditional post player. She is not opposed to stepping outside and taking the occasional three-pointer, but Sant will do most of scoring in the paint. Casey Nance starts at the five spot and is the defensive stopper in the paint. The 6-5 senior is a fine shot blocker and a very intimidating presence under the basket. Six-footer Elle Queen usually starts at the three spot. She is an all-around fine player. Queen may not score a ton of points, but she is a fine rebounder and passer and a great defender. Olivia Applewhite and Ally Malott add even more quality depth to the frontcourt.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The backcourt relies heavily on Andrea Hoover and Patrice Lalor. Hoover is just a freshman, but she has emerged as the team’s best scorer on the perimeter. She is a decent shooter and will be aggressive attacking the basket. Hoover is also a fine rebounder and that has helped out immensely. However, she can be inconsistent scoring and the Flyers cannot afford inconsistency during the tournament. Lalor has done a fine job running the point, but the depth behind her is a little turnover prone. Samantha MacKay is an experienced option on the perimeter and Kayla Moses has worked her way into the regular rotation during her senior campaign. De’Sarae Chambers has played in just seven games this season due to multiple concussions, but she may return for the tournament. However, how effective she can be after missing so much time remains to be seen.
Probable Starters:
Patrice Lalor, Senior, Guard, 7.6 ppg, 4.5 apg
Andrea Hoover, Freshman, Guard, 9.8 ppg, 1.9 apg, 5.1 rpg
Elle Queen, Senior, Forward, 5.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.6 apg
Justine Raterman, Senior, Forward, 14.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg
Casey Nance, Senior, Center, 5.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Olivia Applewhite, Junior, Forward, 5.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg
Samantha MacKay, Junior, Guard, 5.1 ppg, 2.5 apg
Ally Malott, Freshman, Forward, 6.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg
Kayla Moses, Senior, Guard, 2.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg
Cassie Sant, Sophomore, Center, 8.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 71.5 (35th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 60.1 (136, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 39.8 (130, 9)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.7 (175, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.4 (48, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 30.6 (138, 6)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.2 (37, 3)
Rebound Margin: 3.9 (69, 5)
Assists Per Game: 16.5 (17, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 16.4 (112, 8)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
Dayton 2011 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Penn State
Dayton 2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over TCU
Dayton 2010 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Tennessee
Dayton 2009 NIT First Round win over Oakland
Dayton 2009 NIT Second Round loss to Indiana
Dayton 2008 NIT First Round loss to Bowling Green
Dayton 2000 NIT First Round loss to Florida
*all team stats through 3/1
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
