Dowling (5-8, 4-4 ECC)  37-31—68

OAKDALE, N.Y. – Senior forward Julia Koppl (Innsbrook, Austria) totaled 22 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks to lead Dolwing College to a 68-44 victory over Daemen College here tonight in East Coast Conference women's basketball action. Dowling, which advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Division II Tournament last year, improved to 5-8 overall and evened its ECC record to 4-4. Daemen dropped to 4-11 overall and 1-8 in the league.

Koppl totaled 17 points and 11 rebounds in the first half, as she helped the Golden Lions build a 37-19 halftime lead. Junior guard Kristen McHahon (Patchogue, N.Y.) helped the Dowling cause with 14 points and six rebounds, while junior Christine Verrelle (Abington, Pa.) added four points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

Sophomore Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) went 4-for-9 from three-point land and scored a team-high 17 points for Daemen. Stilwell, who recorded her 100th career three-pointer during the game, has now canned 31 triples and has averaged 22.3 points over the past seven games. Senior Lindsay Stoddard (Limestone, N.Y./Allegany-Limestone) added nine points for the Wildcats, while freshman Rachel Pawlak (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Niagara-Wheatfield) and sophomore Somara Colon (Bronx, N.Y./Mott Haven Village Prep) both contributed five points off the bench. Freshman Taylor Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y./Immaculata) grabbed a team-high nine rebounds for the Wildcats.

Dowling held a 10-8 lead five minutes into the contest when the hosts put together a 10-2 spurt. Koppl and McHahon both scored four points during the run, which gave the Golden Lions a 20-10 lead with 11:18 left before halftime. Daemen pulled to with six points, 23-17, following a layup by Stilwell with 5:47 left in the half, but a three-pointer by Koppl sparked the Golden Lions on a 14-2 run over the final 5:13 of the half. A jumper by freshman Jillian Gillman (Weare, N.H.) with 47 seconds left in the half capped the run and gave the Golden Lions a 37-19 halftime lead.

Dowling held a 52-30 lead eight minutes into the second half when the Wildcats rallied with a 10-2 run. A three-pointer by Pawlak with 8:27 left capped the spurt and cut the Dowling lead to 14 points, 54-40. The Wildcats would come no closer, as Dowling scored the next eight points to secure the win.

Daemen connected on just 6-of-28 shots (21%) in first half and shot a season-low 23-percent (14-for-60) for the game. The 44 points were a season-low for the Wildcats, who had averaged 77.5 points over their last six games. Dowling only shot 38-percent from the field (23-for-61), but the Golden Lions outscored the Wildcats 18-10 from the free throw line and posted a 54-32 edge in rebounds. Dowling collected 19 offensive rebounds, which led to 21 second-chance points.

Daemen travels to the University of Bridgeport for an ECC game tomorrow (Jan. 18) at 2 p.m. Bridgeport (4-10, 2-6 ECC) posted a 55-54 win over Roberts Wesleyan College this evening.

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