Jim Jabir, the Dayton women’s basketball coach, hasn’t just had to guide 12 players and eight staff members through unprecedented territory as they’ve reached new heights as a program. He’s also worked hard at managing himself through these heady times.

A self-proclaimed eternal pessimist, Jabir is finding a balance between pushing the Flyers to keep improving without being so worried about a potential slip that he doesn’t enjoy what they’ve already accomplished.

“I think it’s human nature that the better you do, the more pressure you put on yourself,” he said. “Every time we win another game and the streak gets a little longer, I think it’s a natural tendency to get tighter. And I don’t want to do that.

“I’m trying really hard to just make it about today, and I’m enjoying myself better that way. I know we’re going to lose a game at some point, but I just hope we continue to improve. … You could put a lot of pressure on yourself if you wanted to, and I think there’s enough pressure already. I’m trying to keep it loose and light for the kids.”

The Flyers are 12-0 and ranked No. 14 in the USA Today coaches poll and No. 15 in the Associated Press Top 25. They’ve already beaten DePaul (10-3), Michigan State (11-3), Vanderbilt (9-3), Arizona State (7-4), Toledo (10-1) and Akron (8-4).

They’re ranked sixth in the RPI, which is a tool for NCAA tourney seedings. They go into Sunday’s game at Bowling Green (9-3) trying to complete the first undefeated nonleague season in school history.

“To their credit, they don’t talk about the winning streak,” Jabir said of the players. “They don’t talk about the national rankings. They know about it. It’s not like we’re in denial. We’re happy about it. But we know it’s really short-lived. And the only way you keep it going is to be better today than we were yesterday.”

Sophomores Ally Malott and Andrea Hoover, a pair of preseason All-Atlantic 10 picks, are leading the way. The 6-foot-4 Malott is averaging a team-best 13.8 points while making 19-of-42 three-pointers (45.2 percent), and the do-it-all Hoover is averaging 12.1 points.

The Flyers have also gotten a lift from starting point guard Samantha MacKay and sub forward Olivia Applewhite, a pair of seniors who are having career years.

McKay is third on the team in scoring (11.0) with a sparkling assist-turnover ratio of 67-31, while Applewhite has set the tone with her all-out play.

“I was so tough on Sam. Our fans kid about how tough I am on Sam. It’s not a secret,” Jabir said. “But I really believe in Sam. I knew she’s capable of doing a lot of things for us. Getting that out of her wasn’t easy. But, gosh, she’d just smirk at me and keep coming back. That’s Sam, and I’m grateful for that. None of this happens without her.”

Jabri said Applewhite has been a key ingredient in what may be the team’s best asset: its chemistry.

“When you’ve got a senior like Olivia tell me, ‘I really wish I wasn’t graduating. I love this team,’ that’s pretty cool,” he said. “I love hearing things like that because it tells me we’re doing things the right way.”