Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013
Lumsden Gymnasium, Amherst, N.Y.

THE MATCHUP: After playing its first four games on the road, the Daemen College women's basketball team hosts nationally-ranked Holy Family University in its 2013-14 home-opener Saturday (Nov. 23)…game time is 2 p.m at Lumsden Gymnasium…live stats can be accessed HERE…live streaming video can be accessed HERE.

AMHERST YOUTH BASKETBALL DAY: Saturday has been designated "Amherst Youth Basketball Day" at Lumsden Gymnasium…children wearing their Amherst Youth Basketball jersey will receive free admission to Saturday's basketball doubleheader…in addition, AYB teams will play a short exhibition game at halftime of both games.

THE COACHES: David Skolen is entering his 22nd season as head women's basketball coach at Daemen and has posted a 438-220 (.666) record during his time with the Wildcats…he has guided the Wildcats to 11-straight 20-win seasons (15 overall), six conference championships, nine appearances in the NAIA Division II National Tournament and one appearance in the USCAA National Tournament…last winter Skolen led the Wildcats to a 26-7 record and a USCAA Division I National Championship…Mark Miller is in his fifth season as head women's basketball coach at Holy Family…over the past four seasons he has led the Tigers to a 108-19 record (.850), two CACC Tournament championships and four appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament…he came to HFU after five seasons as head coach at NCAA Division III Norwich University and entered the 2013-14 season with a career coaching record of 162-44 (.786).

THE HISTORY: Saturday's game will mark just the third all-time meeting between Daemen and Holy Family and the first since the 1999-00 season…HFU has prevailed in both of the previous two meetings…the Tigers posted a 72-64 victory over the Wildcats the last time the teams met on Feb. 19, 2000 at Daemen.

NCAA DIVISION II: Daemen is in Candidacy Year Two of the NCAA Division II membership process...Daemen has been accepted as a member of the East Coast Conference (ECC) and will play full regular-season conference schedules beginning this fall...the College will also maintain its affiliation with the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) for postseason opportunities, as it will not be eligible for the ECC or NCAA postseason during Candidacy Year Two.

THE WILDCATS: Daemen returns just one starter and six players from last year's team that posted a 26-7 record and claimed the USCAA Division I National championship...the Wildcats were voted 10th in the ECC preseason poll…graduation took its toll in the form of 66-percent of the offense from last year…key losses include USCAA All-Americans Monica Kosior (13.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 59 blks), Chelsea Andorka (12.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 4.2 apg) and Ellie Allen (12.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.3 apg)…the Wildcats opened the 2013-14 season with wins over Carlow (60-50) and Penn State Greater Allegheny (76-69) two weeks ago at the Penn State Greater Allegheny/USCAA Tipoff Classic and are coming off losses to Le Moyne (80-68) and Point Park (77-62) last week…senior guard Lindsay Stoddard (Limestone, N.Y./Allegany-Limestone) is the only returning starter on a roster that includes six freshmen and four sophomores…Stoddard averaged a team-high 5.4 assists per game last year and also ranked fourth in scoring (9.7 ppg) and second in three-pointers (42)…she totaled 19 points in the loss to Point Park and is averaging 12.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists this season…sophomore Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) also returns after averaging 9.3 points with a team-high 60 three-pointers as a redshirt freshman last year…she was named Tournament MVP following the Penn State Greater Allegheny Tipoff Classic after netting 22 points in the championship game…she is averaging a team-high 14.3 points…sophomore Somara Colon (Bronx, N.Y./Mott Haven Village Prep) is averaging 18 minutes, 5.5 points and 6.5 rebounds off the bench and contributed 10 points and seven rebounds in the loss to Le Moyne…Daemen's freshman class includes All-Western New York selections Rachel Pawlak (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Niagara-Wheatfield), Taylor Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y./Immaculata), Leah McDonell (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Cardinal O'Hara) and Natalie Galus (Hamburg, N.Y./Frontier)…Heinold was named to the all-tournament team following the PSGA/USCAA Tipoff Classic after averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds over the two games…she totaled 17 points and eight rebounds in the title game and is averaging 12.7 points and 9.5 rebounds…Galus totaled 13 points and 18 rebounds in the season-opening win over Carlow and is averaging 10.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks…McDonell contributed 13 points and four steals in the loss to Point Park and is averaging 9.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals…Daemen is shooting 35-percent (98-284) from the field overall, 19-percent (20-105) from three-point land and 67-percent (50-75) from the charity stripe…the Wildcats are scoring 66.5 points and allowing 69.0 points per game…Daemen owns a -7.3 rebounding margin (49.5 / 56.8).

ROAD WARRIORS: Daemen will play 12 of its first 13 games on the road…the Wildcats played 21 of their 32 games away from the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium last year…Daemen had won eight-straight road games before losing at Le Moyne last week…the Wildcats have prevailed in 66-percent (39-20) of their road games over the past three seasons.

HOME COOKING: The Wildcats have won their last five home games dating back to last season…Daemen went 11-1 at home last year and is 70-8 at Lumsden Gymnasium over the past six seasons.

THE TIGERS: Holy Family is a member of the NCAA Division II Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC)…HFU has made 10-straight appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament and advanced to the regional championship game in 2008, 2010 and 2012…like Daemen, the Tigers were hit hard by graduation and return eight players and just one starter from last year's team that finished 28-3 (18-1 CACC), claimed the CACC Tournament championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament…HFU was voted first in the CACC South Division preseason poll and is ranked 12th in the USA TODAY/WBCA Division II poll released Tuesday…the Tigers opened the year with an 81-68 loss to No. 1 ranked Bentley University, before posting a 66-57 victory over East Stroudsburg…HFU is coming off an 80-66 loss at ECC member District of Columbia this past Tuesday…honorable mention All-America selection and CACC Player of the Year Erin Mann (18.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 90 blks) was lost to graduation…senior guard Mary Ellen McCollum is the only returning starter and the leading scorer (7.1 ppg) among returning players…she scored a team-high 16 points in the win over ESU and is averaging 12.3 points and 4.7 rebounds…senior guard Maggie Serratelli returns after averaging 6.6 points last year…she totaled 15 points and four assists against Bentley and is averaging 12.0 points and 5.3 rebounds…senior center Carolyne Heston and junior forward Sarah Pawlak have started all three games…Heston totaled 13 points and 14 rebounds against ESU and is averaging 8.0 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds…Pawlak had seven points, nine rebounds and four assists in the win over ESU and is averaging 6.0 points and 4.3 rebounds…freshman guard Jill Conroy has started all three games and is averaging 8.3 points…she netted 13 points in the loss to Bentley…HFU is shooting 34-percent (62-180) from the field overall, 38-percent (24-64) from three-point land and 74-percent (52-70) from the charity stripe…the Tigers are scoring 66.7 points and allowing 72.7 points per game…HFU owns a -1.4 rebounding margin (41.3 / 42.7)

SISTER ACT: Sisters Sarah and Rachel Pawlak will square off against each other today…Sarah is in her junior year at Holy Family, while Rachel is a freshman at Daemen…Sarah enjoyed an outstanding high school career at Sacred Heart and was named first-team All-WNY and second-team Class A all-state following her senior year…Rachel starred at Niagara-Wheatfield and was a third-team All-WNY and 10th-team Class AA all-state selection as a senior.

DID YOU KNOW?: Lindsay Stoddard totaled 178 assists last year which ranked as the seventh most in one season by a Daemen player…Stoddard entered her senior season with 319 career assists and now needs just 56 assists to become the seventh player in program history to register 400 career assists…Daemen's roster features the top two all-time leading scorers in the history of the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association…Raeann Stilwell totaled a league-record 1,776 points over her career at St. Mary's of Lancaster, while Cardinal O'Hara graduate Leah McDonell ranked second with 1,617 points…the two are also cousins.

WHAT'S NEXT: Daemen returns to action Tuesday (Nov. 26) when it travels to rival Roberts Wesleyan College for a 6 p.m. game…it will mark Daemen's first-ever East Coast Conference game…Daemen's next home game is not until Jan. 12 when it hosts the University of the District of Columbia in an ECC game at 1 p.m.

FOLLOW THE WILDCATS: Follow Daemen College athletics on Twitter (@DaemenAthletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/daemencollegeathletics) to get live game updates and breaking news throughout the year.