Roberts Wesleyan (9-8, 5-6 ECC)  33-43—76
Daemen (6-13, 3-10 ECC) 24-37—61
 
AMHERST, N.Y. – Junior Marissa Sell (Brockport, N.Y.) totaled 26 points and 15 rebounds to lead Roberts Wesleyan College to a 76-61 victory over Daemen College here tonight in East Coast Conference women's basketball action.
 
RWC, which is in Candidacy Year Three of the NCAA Division II membership process, improved to 9-8 overall and 5-6 in the ECC. Daemen, which is in Candidacy Year Two of the NCAA Division II membership process, saw its two-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 6-13 overall and 3-10 in the league.
 
Sophomore Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) paced the Wildcats once again, as she scored in double figures for the15th-straight game and finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Senior Lindsay Stoddard (Limestone, N.Y./Allegany-Limestone) added 10 points, nine rebounds and four assists for the Wildcats. Daemen's two starting forwards, freshmen Natalie Galus (Hamburg, N.Y./Frontier) and Taylor Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y./Immaculata), both saw limited playing time due to foul trouble. Galus, who entered the game averaging 11.7 points and 7.7 rebounds, fouled out midway through the second half and finished with just two points and two rebounds in 17 minutes. Heinold, who averages 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds, finished with 10 points and five rebounds.
 
Sell, the ECC Preseason Player of the Player, totaled 16 points and 11 rebounds before halftime and connected on 9-of-17 shots overall. Sophomore Samantha Courtney (Marathon, N.Y.) added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Redhawks, while senior Chelsea Sanders (Rochester, N.Y.) contributed 10 points and six boards.
 
RWC made the most of its height advantage throughout the contest. The Redhawks have seven players on their roster listed at six-foot or taller, led by the 6-foot-3 Courtney, compared to just one for Daemen. The Redhawks posted a 57-41 edge in total rebounds and recorded 18 offensive rebounds, which led to 15 second chance points. RWC also finished with a 30-22 edge in points in the paint.
 
RWC built an early 12-5 lead and later took its first double-digit lead of the game, 18-8, following a layup by Sell with 10:47 left before halftime. The teams traded baskets for the next three minutes and RWC held a 21-12 lead when the visitors rattled of five unanswered points. A conventional three-point play by Sell with 7:14 left in the half capped the run and gave the Redhawks their largest lead of the half, 26-12. RWC maintained a double-digit lead until Stilwell drained her second three-pointer of the half just before the halftime buzzer, which cut the Daemen deficit to nine points, 33-24.
 
Daemen cut the lead to five points, 35-30, early in the second half, but the Redhawks responded with a 15-4 run and opened up a 16-point lead, 50-34, after Courtney drained a jumper with 15:05 left to play. Daemen cut the lead to 10 points, 53-43, after Stilwell hit a triple with 12:27 left, but RWC put together one last run and eventually opened up a 20-point cushion, 72-52, when freshman Emily Piacentini (Rochester, N.Y.) converted a layup with 6:43 left. Daemen came no closer than 13 points the rest of the way.
 
Daemen connected on just 7-of-35 shots (20%) in first half and shot 32-percent (21-66) for the game. The Wildcats attempted 30 three-pointers in the game and made eight. RWC shot 40-percent (14-35) in the second half and connected on 27-of-73 shots (37%) overall. The Redhawks struggled from downtown all game, making just 4-of-22 attempts (0-for-9 in the first half).
 
Daemen is back in action Friday (Jan. 31) when it hosts LIU Post in an ECC game at 6 p.m. The Pioneers posted a 75-56 victory over the Wildcats earlier this year on Long Island.
 
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