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UD women try to stay relaxed entering 1st-round NCAA tournament game

Blog: Follow women's NCAA tourney: UD Flyers vs. TCU

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By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer Updated 6:29 PM Friday, March 19, 2010

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Dayton women’s basketball locker room was full of laughs and jokes on Friday, March 19, as the Flyers met reporters to talk about their first-round NCAA tournament game.

Then there was the football flying around.

“Last year when we went to the conference tournament Coach (Mike) Kelly came with us and brought it along as his addition to the team,” Flyers sophomore forward Justine Raterman said. “We use it in some walk-throughs, and it’s just kind of a thing we do.”

Players tossed, posed with and carried the ball, which was an attempt to provide some normalcy to an unusual experience for the Flyers. Eighth-seeded Dayton will make its NCAA Division I tournament debut at 2:30 p.m. today when it faces ninth-seeded TCU at Thompson-Boling Arena on the University of Tennessee campus.

Playing in this revered women’s basketball building against a team making its ninth tournament appearance in 10 years, the Flyers are trying to stay loose.

“I have to admit, I’ve never been here before, so it was, ‘Wow, this is Tennessee,’ ” said sophomore guard Patrice Lalor. “So, I had that feeling too, like, ‘I need to take some pictures.’ ”

The Flyers finished a program-best second place in the Atlantic 10 Conference and were ranked as high as No. 20 in December. But in making a first tournament appearance, coach Jim Jabir said he wants his players to remember their skills, not think about the atmosphere.

“I don’t want them to be in awe, I want them to enjoy it,” Jabir said. “My job is to have them prepared but keep them loose.”

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com