AMHERST, N.Y. – Sophomore Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) scored 19 points and junior Natalie Galus (Hamburg, N.Y./Frontier) added 13 points and 13 rebounds to lead Daemen College to an 87-68 victory over Molloy College in women's basketball action here tonight. Daemen has now won two of its last three games and improved to 4-11 overall and 2-7 in the East Coast Conference. Molloy dropped to 5-12 overall and 4-5 in the league.
Daemen, which joined the ECC in 2013, has now prevailed in four of the five meetings between the Wildcats and the Lions.
Saba and Galus put up the big numbers, but tonight's win was certainly a total team effort for the Wildcats as five players scored in double figures and 10 of the 11 players that saw action scored in the game.
Saba, who has now led the team in scoring in six-straight games, connected on 6-of-16 shots and also contributed five rebounds and three blocks. Galus, who has now recorded a double-double in two of the last three games, equaled her season-high for rebounds. Junior Leah McDonell (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Cardinal O'Hara) went 2-for-3 from three-point land and finished with 13 points, three assists and two steals. Senior Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) was a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point land and totaled 12 points and four assists. She has shot 9-for-17 from downtown over the past three games and now stands just seven three-pointers shy of setting a new program record for most career three-pointers. Stilwell has made 236 triples over her career. 2005 graduate Jessica Ruddell made a record 242 three-pointers during her career.
Junior college transfer Jesse DeWaters (Lockport, N.Y./Niagara County CC) turned in her most impressive effort of the season and finished with 12 points, six rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes off the bench. Senior Somara Colon (Bronx, N.Y./Mott Haven Village Prep) added six points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Senior Ally Letfridge (Melville, N.Y.) paced Molloy with 23 points and six rebounds, while classmate Kimani Jackson (Dix Hills, N.Y.) added 16 points.
Molloy held a 6-5 lead three minutes in the game when Daemen scored eight unanswered points. A three-point play by Saba opened the run and three-pointer by Galus with 4:44 left in the quarter capped it and gave the Wildcats a 13-6 lead. Molloy quickly cut the lead to two points, 13-11, but the Wildcats outscored the Lions 8-2 over the final 2:29 of the quarter and the hosts took a 21-13 lead into the second quarter.
Daemen took a double-digit lead, 23-13, after DeWaters scored at the start of the second quarter, but a three-pointer by senior Alexia O'Connor (Centerport, N.Y.) sparked the Lions on an 8-0 spurt. A three-point play by Leftridge with 6:45 left in the quarter capped the run and cut the Daemen lead to 23-21. Galus ended the run with a three-pointer 15 seconds later, and the Wildcats later regained a double-digit lead, 34-23, after Galus canned two free throws with 3:21 left before halftime. The score was 35-25 when back-to-back three-pointers by DeWaters and Stilwell gave the Wildcats a 41-25 lead. A layup by Galus with 47 seconds left before halftime closed out the first-half scoring and Daemen took a 43-25 lead into the break.
The teams traded baskets for the first four minutes of the third quarter and Daemen held a 15-point lead, 49-34, when the Lions ran off five-straight points and cut the lead to 10 points, 49-39, following a three-point play by Jackson with 5:34 left in the third quarter. Daemen answered with a three-pointer by McDonell and the hosts later regained an 18-point lead, 62-44, after Stilwell drained her fourth three-pointer of the game with 2:02 left in the quarter. The Wildcats took a 66-48 lead into the fourth quarter.
Molloy cut the lead to 12 points, 73-61, midway through the fourth quarter, but Daemen regrouped and secured the win with a 9-2 run. Back-to-back fast-break layups by Galus and McDonell capped the run and gave the Wildcats an 82-63 lead with 2:35 left to play.
Daemen established season-highs for field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage in the game. The Wildcats connected on 31-of-67 (.463) shots overall and made good on 10-of-24 (.417) from long range. It marked the third time in the past four games the Wildcats have made 10 or more three-pointers. Molloy shot 40-percent (25-for-63) from the field overall, but canned just 5-of-22 from downtown. Daemen collected 17 offensive rebounds and finished with a commanding 52-29 edge in total rebounds. The effort on the offensive end resulted in a 15-9 edge in second-chance points for the hosts.
Daemen returns to action Sunday (Jan. 24) when it hosts Queens College in an ECC game at 1 p.m.
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