AMHERST, N.Y. – Junior Dina Ragab (Cairo, Egypt) totaled 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists to lead New York Institute of Technology to a 71-67 victory over Daemen College here today in East Coast Conference women's basketball action. NYIT, which is ranked fifth in the latest D2SIDA East Region poll and is receiving votes in the USA TODAY/WBCA Division II national poll, improved to 13-4 overall and 8-2 in the ECC. Daemen suffered its second-straight setback and dropped to 8-8 overall and 5-5 in the league.
 
Sophomore Natalie Galus (Hamburg, N.Y./Frontier) paced the host Wildcats with 17 points, three assists and three blocks, while freshman Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) added 16 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Sophomore Leah McDonell (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Cardinal O'Hara) added a season-high 14 points, while senior Shy Britton (Rochester, N.Y./Niagara University) contributed eight points, six rebounds, six assists and five blocks. Junior Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) chipped in nine points, six assists and three steals.
 
Ragab was one of four NYIT players in double figures. Sophomore Shannon Duer (Islip, N.Y.) contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds, while classmate Julie Williams (Smithtown, N.Y.) canned two three-pointers and scored 12 points.
 
Daemen took a 14-13 lead five minutes into the game following a three-pointer by Galus, but the Bears then ran off 13 unanswered points and opened up a 26-14 lead following a three-pointer by freshman Nina Vukosavljevic (Belgrade, Serbia) with 9:58 left before intermission. The teams traded baskets for the next six minutes and NYIT held a 35-22 lead when the Wildcats put together an 8-0 run. A three-pointer by McDonell with 1:15 left before halftime capped the run and made the score 37-32 NYIT. The Bears scored the last two baskets of the half and took a 41-32 lead into the break.
 
Daemen opened the second half with a 14-8 run that cut the NYIT lead to three points, 49-46, but the Bears responded with seven unanswered points and the visitors later took a 66-51 lead following a three-point play by Ragab with just under six minutes to play. Daemen made things interesting with a late 10-2 run. A three-pointer by Stilwell and a layup by Galus capped the run and made the score 71-67 NYIT with 1:14 left. The Bears went 0-for-4 from the charity stripe over the final minute, but the Wildcats were unable to take advantage.
 
Daemen shot 42-percent (25-60) from the field overall and connected on 9-of-27 three-point attempts. The Bears also shot 42-percent overall (30-71) and made 5-of-14 from downtown. NYIT finished with a 45-39 edge in total rebounds and the visitors also posted a 44-26 advantage in points in the paint.
 
Daemen is idle until Friday (Jan. 30) when it plays an ECC game at Molloy College.
 
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