Complete Game Notes (pdf)
This week’s game
Wofford will open the 2008-09 men’s basketball season on Sunday evening at the University of Dayton. It will also be the season opener for the Flyers, who participated in the 2008 NIT. The game will be played at the University of Dayton Arena (13,266). The UD Arena has hosted the NCAA Tournament Opening Round game for the last eight seasons and will host the First and Second Rounds in 2009. The game will mark the 15th straight season the Terriers have begun a season on the road. The last home season opener for Wofford was on November 20, 1993. Dayton enters the game after exhibition wins over Capital and Gannon. Wofford did not play any exhibition games prior to the start of the regular season, however they did participate in joint practices with Winthrop and Radford. The game will be the first of four straight on the road for Wofford to open the season. In the 2008-09 Southern Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, Wofford was selected to finish fourth in the South Division. Three Terriers have ties to Ohio: freshman Brad Loesing (Cincinnati), sophomore Terry Martin (Cincinnati) and freshman Jason Dawson (Columbus).
About Wofford
The Terriers return three starters from last year’s team that posted a 16-16 overall record and an 8-12 mark in the Southern Conference. Returning starters include junior guards Junior Salters and Corey Godzinksi, along with sophomore forward Noah Dahlman. Seniors on the squad are guards Matt Estep and Marcus Jackson. Returning forwards include sophomores Tim Johnson, Drew Crowell and Terry Martin. The Terriers welcome seven newcomers this season. Guards Jason Dawson and Brad Loesing will compete for time at point guard. Additional guards are Kevin Giltner and Matt Steelman, while Joseph Tecklenburg will be at forward. In addition, guards Jamar Diggs and Cameron Rundles have joined the team as transfers and will be eligible next fall.
About Dayton
The Flyers return three starters from last year’s squad that posted a 23-11 overall record. They were 8-8 in the Atlantic 10 and tied for eighth place. They participated in the NIT last season before falling to Ohio State. Head Coach Brian Gregory is in his sixth season on the bench with a 98-60 career record. This season the Flyers were picked to finish third in the Atlantic 10, with three first place votes. In addition, sophomore forward Chris Wright was selected to the Preseason Atlantic 10 All-Conference Team and freshman guard Paul Williams was named to the Preseason All-Rookie Team. Overall, the team returns eleven players from last season, which includes three of the top four scorers and the top three rebounders.
The Wofford-Dayton series
Wofford and Dayton have played just once, a 81-64 win by the Flyers on December 29, 2003 in Dayton. In that game, Wofford was led by Greg Taylor with 13 points and Howard Wilkerson with 12 points and five rebounds.
