AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College women's basketball team will host the University of Maine Fort-Kent in a battle of top-five nationally ranked teams Sunday (Dec. 2). Game time is 2 p.m. at Lumsden Gymnasium on the Daemen campus.
 
Daemen is ranked third in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division I poll released Nov. 16th, while UMFK is ranked fourth. The new USCAA poll is unveiled Friday, Nov. 30.
 
Daemen is 7-1 in home games and 10-2 overall. The Wildcats' home success should come as no surprise as the team is now 124-12 (.912) in its' last 136 games at Lumsden Gymnasium dating back to 2002-03.
 
The Wildcats competed at the Jim Meagle Turkey Shoot in Marietta, Ohio this past weekend. Daemen suffered a 60-57 loss to Muskingum in the opening round, before defeating the host Marietta Pioneers (64-51) in the second round. The Wildcats are averaging 76.8 points per game, while limiting their opponents to just 55.8 points.
 
Seniors Chelsea Andorka (Canton, Ohio/Notre Dame College), Ellie Allen (Amherst, N.Y./Sweet Home) and Monica Kosior (Grimsby, Ont./Canisius College) have paced the Wildcats thus far.
 
Andorka has scored in double figures in 11 of the first 12 games and is averaging a team-high 14.8 points. She recorded her second double-double (21 pts, 10 rebs) of the year in a win over Roberts Wesleyan and also ranks first on the team in assists (56) and second in steals (33), blocks (18) and rebounding (7.4 rpg). She recorded her 1,000th career point during the loss to Muskingum and enters today's game just two rebounds shy of 500 for her career. Allen has scored in double figures in four of the last five games and is averaging 11.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. She went over 500 career rebounds and became the 10th player in program history to record 300 career assists during the win over Marietta. Kosior was named the USCAA Player of the Week after leading Daemen to wins over Roberts Wesleyan and Penn State Worthington Scranton and was named to the all-tournament team following the Jim Meagle Turkey Shoot. She scored a career-high 26 points in the win over RWC. She is averaging 12.7 points and leads the team in rebounding (8.2 rpg) and blocks (26).
 
Junior point guard Lindsay Stoddard (Limestone, N.Y./Allegany-Limestone) and senior guard Samantha Stanfield (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison) have also produced. Stoddard totaled 13 points and five assists against Marietta and is contributing a steady 8.3 points and 4.4 assists. The 5-foot-5 Stanfield is averaging an impressive 6.9 rebounds per game (third on the team) and leads the team in steals (42). She was named Most Valuable Player following the Jim Meagle Turkey Shoot after totaling 24 points, 13 rebounds and 10 steals over the two games.
 
Senior Lia Zahn (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) and freshman Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) have been consistent contributors off the bench. Zahn has 16 three pointers and is averaging 6.2 points. Stilwell (8.6 ppg) has drained a team-high 20 three-pointers and scored 13 points in a 74-60 win over Point Park. Junior Jillian Fitzner (Hamburg, N.Y./Immaculata Academy) has seen consistent playing time over the past four games and scored 12 points in the win over Penn State Worthington Scranton.
 
Sunday's game will mark the fifth all-time meeting between Daemen and UMFK. Daemen has prevailed in each of the four previous meetings, including a 78-58 win last year in Maine. The teams last met in Lumsden Gym on January 11, 2011 and the Wildcats came away with an 82-52 victory.
 
UMFK returns just four players from last year's team that finished 11-12. The Bengals improved to 4-2 following a 67-64 victory over Maine-Machias on Nov. 20th. The Bengals will take part in the Ed Hockenbury Classic at Norwich University Friday and Saturday, before heading to Daemen. Sophomore center Ericka Christensen totaled 20 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Maine-Machias and leads the team in scoring (17.4 ppg) and rebounding (10.6 rpg). Junior guard Jenn Colpitts (12.8 ppg, 20 stls) and junior forward Taylor Boucher (10.4 ppg, 15 3pt fgs) has also produced. The Bengals are averaging 67.5 points per game.