Burdette and her teammates will play the first game in front of fans at the renovated arena, which is in phase one of a three-year, $72 million upgrade, on Saturday.
RELATED: Wayne junior commits to Flyers
The women play an exhibition game against the University of Findlay at 2 p.m. The UD men play Ohio Dominican at 7 p.m.
“We’re all super excited,” Burdette said. “All our fans are excited for everyone to get to see it and the atmosphere in there.”
Findlay, a NCAA Division II program, finished 13-15 last season. The Oilers were picked to finish third in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. They return their top four scorers, including Christa Puthoff, a junior center from Versailles. Lexie Seger, a junior guard from Bellbrook, is also on the roster.
Dayton finished 8-3 at home in coach Shauna Green’s first season, clinching a share of the Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season championship in its final home game with a 68-62 victory over Saint Louis.
RELATED: 2018 recruiting news; Green on practice starting
A-10 coaches voted Dayton the preseason favorite in October. Burdette, the team's leading returner scorer with 12.0 points per game, was named to the preseason first team. She enters her senior season with 857 career points, putting her in reach of becoming the 25th player in school history to score 1,000 points.
Burdette wants to be a more vocal leader and improve her defense. As for the team, the goals are always the same.
“We want to be the best we can be,” Burdette said. “Compared to this time last year, we’re way ahead of where we were. We’re able to put in a bunch more plays, and we’re able to execute better. It showed in the scrimmage we had this past weekend. I think as long as we are able to keep executing and keep improving on our team chemistry, I think everything will be headed in the right direction.”
About the Author
