Box Score

Score By Periods	1st	2nd	Total
Daemen	31	26	57
Shawnee State	32	33	65

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio - The Shawnee State University women's basketball team shrugged off a two-game losing skid and downed Daemen College, 65-57, today at Frank and Janis Waller Gymnasium on day one of the SSU Tournament.  The win marked the second of the season for the host Bears against Daemen; Shawnee State won a 57-39 decision at Lumsden Gymnasium earlier this season (Nov. 4).

With the win, Shawnee State, the #15 ranked team in the latest NAIA Division I poll, improves to 9-3 while Daemen, the top-ranked USCAA team in the land, falls to 11-3.

Daemen, who fell behind by as many as 10 points in the first half, used a 14-2 run covering four-and-a-half minutes to jump ahead 23-21 on a layup by redshirt freshman Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) at the 7:38 mark of the opening stanza.  Stilwell sparked the run offensively scoring all nine of her points during the spurt.

The lead was short-lived however as SSU used an 8-2 spurt of their own to re-establish control at 29-25 with 3:54 to play in the half.

Daemen scored four straight to knot the score at 29-all at the 2:35 mark but the Bears would take a slim 32-31 lead into the halftime intermission.

After trading baskets in the opening minutes of the second half, the hosts went on a 12-2 spurt to run their lead up to 11 (48-37) at the 11:30 mark on a jumper by Allison Nagle.  SSU got scores from four different players in the run, including three-point buckets by Kara Long (16:53) and Nagle (12:24).

Daemen cut the deficit to six (50-44) at the 9:53 mark with a three-ball by senior Chelsea Andorka (Canton, Ohio/Notre Dame College) but Nagle quickly answered with another three-pointer of her own.  After another Andorka jumper, SSU got back-to-back buckets from Schera Sampson and a jumper from Alannah Sheets at the 6:01 mark put the Bears ahead 59-46 - their largest lead of the game. 

Trailing by 11 with under three minutes to play, Daemen would make it a two-possession game after five straight points by junior guard Lindsay Stoddard (Limestone, N.Y./Allegany-Limestone) and two Andorka free throws to make the score 61-57 with 59 ticks remaining.

Daemen forced a turnover on the Bears' next possession and had a chance with under 30 seconds left to make it a one-possession game, but turned the ball right back over to SSU.

Sheets and Nagle converted SSU's four free throw attempts in the waning seconds to provide some breathing room and the final margin for the hosts.

Nagle and Sheets split 28 points between them to lead the Bears.  The duo combined to shoot 10-for-10 from the free throw line.    Nagle hit on 4-of-6 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range.

Long knocked down two triples and scored nine points for SSU.

Alex Pohl and Sampson were next with eight points apiece for the Bears.  But, it was there work on the glass that highlighted SSU's victory.  Pohl hauled in a game-high 15 rebounds and Sampson added 10 as the hosts held a 51-31 edge on the backboard.  20 offensive rebounds resulted in 18 points for the Bears.

Stoddard paced the Daemen offense for the second straight game as she scored 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting.  She and senior guard Samantha Stanfield (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison) tied for the team-high with five rebounds.

Senior center Monica Kosior (Grimsby, Ont./Canisius College) added 10 points while Andorka finished with nine points, four rebounds and three assists.

A short turn-around time has Daemen facing Georgetown College (Ky.) - the #21 ranked team in NAIA Division I - tomorrow at 11am to conclude their participation in the SSU Tournament.  Georgetown (4-4) suffered an 84-79 loss to Robert Morris University (Ill.) in today's first game.