SPARKILL, N.Y. – Junior Leah McDonell (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) scored a season-high 19 points and also recorded four steals and senior Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) added 14 points, a career-high 13 rebounds and six assists to lead Daemen College to a 79-73 overtime victory over St. Thomas Aquinas College here tonight in East Coast Conference women's basketball action.
Daemen has now won three-straight games (and five of its last eight) and improved to 7-13 overall and 5-9 in the ECC. STAC, which was ranked in the D2SIDA regional poll earlier this year, has now lost five-straight games and dropped to 13-10 overall and 6-9 in the league.
The win keeps Daemen in contention for one of six spots in the upcoming ECC Tournament. The Wildcats remain within one win of sixth place in the ECC standings.
Four players scored in double figures for Daemen, which became just the third team to score 76 or more points on STAC this season. The host Spartans entered the game ranked first in the ECC in fewest points allowed per game (58.7). Sophomore Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) scored 13 points and has now scored in double figures in 13-straight games (and 17 of the last 18). Sophomore Liz Miles (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) once again provided a spark off the bench and equaled her season-high for points (13) while also registering eight rebounds and two blocks. Junior Natalie Galus (Hamburg, N.Y./Frontier) added eight points and seven rebounds, while senior Somara Colon (Bronx, N.Y./Mott Haven Village Prep) also netted eight points.
STAC was paced by freshman Ruth Adams (San Diego, Calf.) who totaled a season-high 28 points and eight rebounds.
STAC opened an early 11-6 lead, before the Wildcats responded with nine unanswered points and took a 15-11 lead after Saba canned a jumper with 2:41 left in the first quarter. Daemen took a 19-15 lead into the second quarter, but the Spartans erased the lead with eight unanswered points at the start of the second frame.
A jumper by Adams with 6:16 left before halftime capped the spurt and gave the hosts a 23-19 lead. STAC's lead was five points, 26-21, with just under four minutes left in the half when a jumper by Miles sparked the Wildcats on a 17-4 run over the final 3:41 of the half. Miles scored seven points during the run and a layup by senior Stilwell with 13 seconds left in the half capped the rally and gave Daemen a 38-30 halftime lead.
Daemen took the only double-digit lead of the game, 45-34, after Stilwell made a three-pointer 1:39 into the third quarter, but the Spartans answered with a triple by senior Alyson Brennan (Hicksville, N.Y.) 24 seconds later and the hosts later cut the lead to four points, 48-44, following a layup by junior Kaitlyn McCue (Bergenfield, N.J.) with 4:27 left in the quarter. Daemen answered with a three-pointer by Galus and the Wildcats later held an eight point lead, 56-48, with less than two minutes to play in the quarter. STAC scored the final six points of the quarter and Daemen took a 56-54 lead into the fourth.
Daemen opened the fourth quarter with a three-pointer by McDonell, and after the teams traded baskets for a couple minutes Stilwell stole the ball from freshman Chelsea Murphy (Walkill, N.Y.) in the STAC end, drove the length of the court, scored and was fouled. She canned the free throw and gave the Wildcats a 67-58 lead with 7:27 to play. Daemen managed just four points the rest of the quarter and STAC eventually tied the game at 71-71 following a layup by McCue with 1:01 left in regulation.
Both teams came up empty on their next possessions, and the Wildcats had a chance to win it in regulation but Saba's runner in the lane off an inbounds pass was off the mark at the buzzer.
McDonell made one -of-two free throws just four seconds into overtime, before Adams answered with a baseline jumper to give STAC a 73-72 lead—the Spartans first lead since late in the second quarter. McDonell then gave Daemen the lead for good when she picked off a pass by STAC's Jenna Erickson (Melrose, N.Y.) and went coast-to-coast for the go-ahead layup with 3:27 left in overtime. Erickson was off the mark with a jumper 20 seconds later, and Daemen took a 76-73 lead following a jumper by Saba with 2:39 to play. Neither team scored again until Miles canned two free throws with 24 seconds left. STAC was off the mark with a three-pointer at the other end, and McDonell closed out the scoring by hitting one-of-two free throws with 0:05 seconds left.
Daemen shot a sizzling 57-percent (16-28) from the field in the first half and connected on 30-of-62 shots (.484) overall. The Wildcats, who entered the game ranked first among ECC teams in three-point field goals per game, connected on 7-of-21 from downtown and also canned 12-of-16 free throws. STAC shot just 30-percent (10-33) from the field in the first half and made 27-of-77 shots (.351) overall. The Spartans made just 2-of-15 three-pointers and made 17-of-22 from the charity stripe. Daemen, which entered the game ranked fifth nationally in defensive rebounds per game, collected 37 defensive boards and posted a 47-39 edge in total rebounds.
Daemen returns to action Saturday (Feb. 13) when it plays an ECC game at Mercy College. Game time is 12 p.m.
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