Box Score AMHERST, N.Y. - Senior Chelsea Andorka (Canton, Ohio/Notre Dame College) equaled her season-high with 20 points and added nine rebounds and five assists to lead the Daemen College women's basketball team to a hard-fought 77-72 victory over Guelph University (Ont.) tonight in opening round action of the 2012 Knee Center of WNY Tip-Off Classic.

The game featured 10 ties and 21 lead changes, and neither team led by more than six points during the contest. Daemen improved to 5-0 with the win, while the Gryphons dropped to 2-4.

Senior Monica Kosior (Grimsby, Ont./Canisius College) recorded her third-straight double-double for Daemen with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while classmate Ellie Allen (Amherst, N.Y./Sweet Home) added a season-high 17 points, along with seven rebounds and three assists. Junior Lindsay Stoddard (Limestone, N.Y./Allegany-Limestone) added seven points and six boards, while senior Samantha Stanfield (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison) recorded eight rebounds and a career-high six steals.

Sophomore Katherine MacTavish (Waterloo, Ont.) scored a team-high 12 points for Guelph, while senior Alexandra Beatty (Woodstock, Ont.) added 11 points in 15 minutes off the bench. Junior Kayla Goodhoofd (Oakville, Ont.) chipped in 11 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals for the visitors.

The first half featured six ties and nine lead changes. Neither team led by more than four points over the first 10 minutes of the game. The game was knotted at 17-17 when the Wildcats ran off five unanswered points. A pretty give-and-go between Kosior and Stanfield capped the spurt and gave Daemen its largest lead of the half, 22-17. Guelph erased the lead with nine unanswered points. A three-pointer by Goodhoofd capped the run and gave the Gryphons a 29-25 lead with three minutes left before intermission. Guelph went scoreless the rest of the half and Daemen regained a five-point lead, 34-29, at the break.

Guelph scored seven of the first eight points in the second half, and took a 36-35 lead following a triple by freshman Erica McFadden (Alma, Ont.) two minutes into the second half. The Wildcats trailed 51-49 with 11 minutes to play, before a jumper by Stanfield and a three-pointer by Andorka gave the hosts a 54-51 lead. Guelph answered with a triple from sophomore Barbara Inrig-Pieterse (London, Ont.) and a jumper by McFadden for a 56-54 lead, before a layup by Koisior tied the game for the last time at 56-56.

The lead changed hands four times over the next two minutes, before a three-pointer by senior Lia Zahn (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) and layup by Stoddard gave Daemen a 67-61 lead with six minutes left. The Wildcats took their largest lead of the game, 71-65, off a layup by Allen with 3:44 to play, but Gryphons answered with a 7-2 run and cut the lead to a point, 73-72, following a three-pointer by sophomore Dana Van Balkom (Hamilton, Ont.) with 2:06 left. Daemen came up empty on its next possession, but Allen drew a key offensive foul at the other end that gave the Wildcats possession with 1:16 left. Kosior drained a 10-foot jumper at the other end for a 75-72 lead. A three-pointer by Beatty with 30 seconds left was off the mark and Andorka came down with the rebound. Stoddard drained two free throws with 24 seconds left to give the Wildcats a 77-72 lead. A triple by McFadden at the other end was off the mark, but McFadden came up with the ball following a DC turnover and was fouled. McFadden missed the front end of a one-and-one with seven seconds left and Allen came down with the defensive rebound to secure the win for Daemen.

After shooting just 37-percent (11-30) in the first half, Daemen connected on 18-of-35 shots (51%) in the second half. Guelph shot just 33-percent (27-for-80) for the game, but kept the game close with some timely three-pointers. The Gryphons finished 9-of-28 from behind the arc.

Daemen held a decisive 46-26 edge in points in the paint, while Guelph finished with the advantage in points off turnovers (25-12) and second-chance points (23-13).

In the other opening round game, Shawnee State University defeated Ryerson University (Ont.) 77-52. It marked the season-opener for Shawnee State, which is ranked second nationally in the preseason NAIA Division 1 poll. Ryerson dropped to 1-6. Preseason NAIA all-America selection Alannah Sheets (Leon, W.V.) led the way for the Bears with 19 points and three steals. Junior Diane Abbady (Ivory Coast, West Africa) added 14 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Senior Kelsey Wright (Brampton, Ont.) scored a game-high 20 points for Ryerson.

Tournament action continues tomorrow. Shawnee State takes on Guelph at noon, while Daemen faces Ryerson at 6 p.m. Both games take place at Lumsden Gymnasium.

2012 Knee Center of WNY Tip-Off Classic

First Round - Nov. 2
Shawnee State 77, Ryerson (Ont.) 52
Daemen 77, Guelph 72

Second Round-Nov. 3
Shawnee State vs. Guelph, Noon
Ryerson vs. Daemen, 6 p.m.
Third Round- Nov. 4
Shawnee State vs. Daemen, 1 p.m.