Box Score

Maine-Fort Kent (16-12) 12-24—36
Daemen (24-7) 52-46—98
 
UNIONTOWN, Pa. – The Daemen College women's basketball team began its quest for a national championship with a convincing 98-36 victory over the University of Maine-Fort Kent here today in the quarterfinal round of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division I Women's Basketball Championship Tournament.
 
The top-seeded Wildcats ran their winning streak to four games and improved to 24-7. UMFK, the tournament's eighth seed, dropped to 16-12 and will play a consolation game tomorrow.
 
Daemen, which was playing its first game since closing out the regular season on Feb. 9, advances to the semifinals where it will face fourth-seeded Rochester College. The semifinal game will be played Friday (Mar. 1) at 1 p.m. The USCAA national championship game is set for Saturday (Mar. 2) at 3:15 p.m. All games are taking place on the campus of Penn State Fayette.

Scores and stats from all quarterfinal games can be found HERE.
 
Five players reached double figures in points for Daemen. Senior Ellie Allen (Amherst, N.Y./Sweet Home), who collected USCAA honorable mention All-America honors yesterday, led the way with 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals in just 22 minutes of action. Junior Lindsay Stoddard (Limestone, N.Y./Allegany-Limestone) added 14 points, five assists and three steals, while freshman Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) totaled 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
 
Senior Chelsea Andorka (Canton, Ohio/Notre Dame College), who was named a first-team USCAA All-American yesterday, stuffed the stat sheet as usual--finishing with nine points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a steal. Senior Samantha Stanfield (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison) added nine points and seven boards. Several reserves saw significant playing time for the Wildcats, led by sophomore Meghan Short (Sandown, N.H./Timberline) who netted a career-high 10 points in just nine minutes of action.
 
Juniors Jenn Colpitts and Taylor Boucher both netted nine points for UMFK.
 
UMFK's hopes for an upset were put to rest early on, as Daemen outscored the Bengals 20-5 over the first six minutes and later took a 32-9 lead following a jumper by junior Jillian Fitzner (Hamburg, N.Y./Immaculata Academy) with 7:50 left before halftime. UMFK managed just one field goal the remainder of the half, while the Wildcats scored another 20 points en route to a commanding 52-12 halftime lead.
 
Despite the long layoff, Daemen showed no signs of rust from the very start. The Wildcats shot 51-percent (23-45) from the field, recorded 15 assists and committed just one turnover in the opening half. Daemen also posted a commanding 33-12 advantage in rebounding during the opening 20 minutes. UMFK connected on just 4-of-26 shots (15%) in the first half and turned the ball over nine times.
 
Daemen took a 50-point lead, 67-17, following a layup by Allen seven minutes into the second half, and later took its largest lead of the game, 86-22, following a three-pointer by Stilwell with 7:42 left.
 
The Wildcats shot 59-percent (19-32) in the second half and finished 42-for-77 (54%) overall. It marked the eighth time this season the Wildcats have shot over 50-percent in a game. Daemen also recorded 10 blocks—the fifth time this season they have finished with 10 or more blocks in a game. Daemen finished with a 63-27 edge in rebounding, which led to a dominating 50-6 advantage in points in the paint. UMFK's shooting struggles continued in the second half and the Bengals finished just 12-for-63 (19%) from the field.
 
Daemen, which is transitioning from NAIA Division II to NCAA Division II, is in its first year as a member of the USCAA and has wasted no time in making a name for itself. Fueled by three national titles in the fall (men's golf, women's soccer, women's volleyball), the Wildcats currently sit atop the USCAA Director's Cup standings. The Director's Cup is presented annually to signify overall athletic excellence. The Daemen men's basketball team has been ranked in the top five among USCAA teams all season is the No. 3 seed in the men's championship tournament.
 
While Daemen is making its first-ever appearance in the USCAA championship tournament, the Wildcats are no strangers to post-season play. Coach David Skolen has led his troops to 11-straight 20-win seasons and nine appearances in the NAIA Division II championship tournament. The Wildcats appeared in seven of the last nine NAIA Division II Tournaments and advanced to the “Sweet 16” in 2011.