The first A10 road game for GW is at Dayton on Saturday. Regardless of the venue, Dayton is always tough opponent.

The Flyers were projected to finish 1st in the preseason A10 polls. Their record stands at 10-3, and 9-3 in their OOC schedule with wins over the likes of Purdue, Illinois, Clemson and Wright State. In their first A10 tilt on Tuesday, they demolished St. Bonaventure 90-43. Their losses have come against Duke, Mississippi State, and Florida (who also beat GW).

To say Dayton is experienced is an understatement. Their starting five include three graduate students, a senior and a sophomore. They are led by Erin Whalen and Jenna Giacone. This is Giacone’s fifth season at Dayton and Whalen’s third after transferring from Vanderbilt following her sophomore year. They are a pair of 6’1” forwards who are volume 3-point shooters. Giacone averages 12.7 ppg while shooting 39% from 3 and Whalen is at 16.0 ppg while shooting 41% from distance. If that isn’t enough firepower, 5’6” sophomore guard Makira Cook is averaging 15.5 ppg and shooting 40% from beyond the arc. As a team, the Flyers score 68.6 ppg, while allowing 57.8 ppg. They shoot a solid 40.2% from the field and 38.8% from beyond the 3-point line.

GW comes into the game with a .500 record at 7-7. After losing a highly competitive and tight contest against Richmond, they face a Dayton team that is very similar, but arguably better. They have tall players that like to shoot from outside, a very active scoring guard, and height coming off the bench. As DMV alluded to, GW had trouble containing the 3-point offense of Richmond, so expect to see much of the same from Dayton. Defensive adjustments need to be made, but not to the extent that we are giving away the inside. GW is currently shooting 34.7% from the field and 29.7% from 3-point range. These numbers are gradually improving, but against Dayton, it’s our defense and mistake-free offense that will determine if we can make a game of this.

Injuries/Covid continue to be an issue. We haven’t had a complete team for any game this season and now the coaching has been hit as well. Hopefully, we’re at full strength soon, if not for this coming weekend.