Box Score PORTSMOUTH, OH - The Daemen Wildcats suffered their third consecutive defeat tonight, falling on the road 60-55 to the Shawnee State Bears.  The Bears, ranked #6 in the latest NAIA I National Poll, led by as many as 14 points in the second half before a late Daemen run made this interesting down the stretch.

After leading by as many as nine points in the first half, senior center Courtney Donovan (Grand Island, NY/Grand Island HS) broke a 27-all tie with a three-pointer late in the half and Daemen went into the intermission with a three-point edge.  After trading buckets to open the second half, the hosts used an 11-0 run to take a 41-38 lead with 13:43 to play.

After Daemen regrouped and briefly regained the lead at 42-41, Shawnee State went on an extended run, out-scoring the Wildcats 17-2 over a span of 6:46.  The run culminated in Shawnee State's largest lead of the night, 58-44, with 3:26 to play, on a bucket by Tabby McKinney.

Daemen would not go away down the stretch, however, as they scored nine consecutive points to get the game within two possessions at 58-53, with 29 seconds remaining.  Albeit, a couple of Bear free throws sealed the deal in the waning seconds.

"They were a little stronger taking the ball to the basket than we were," said Daemen head coach Dave Skolen, a point emphasized by Shawnee State's 22-2 advantage in free throw attempts.  "Still, we had an opportunity for a tremendous win.  I really like our chances going forward."

McKinney paced the victors with 14 points and eight rebounds.  Both Alex Pohl (12 points, 10 rebounds) and  Catrice Mitchell (10 points, 13 rebounds) recorded double-doubles for the Bears, who improved to 13-2 on the season.

The Wildcats (11-4) were led by junior guard Samantha Stanfield (Brooklyn, NY/James Madison HS) who tossed in a career-best 16 points to lead all scorers.  Stanfield did her damage on 8-of-10 shooting from the field while adding four rebounds, three assists and two steals on the night.  Fellow junior Ellie Allen (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home HS) added 10 points, four assists and four boards.  Donovan chipped in with nine points, all of which came on three-point shots, while Chelsea Andorka (Canton, OH/Central Catholic HS) led the Daemen rebounding efforts with seven.

The Wildcats return to league play with a tilt vs. AMC favorite Walsh at 2pm this Saturday, January 7.