Mercy (2-14, 1-10 ECC)  43-23—66
Daemen (6-12, 3-9 ECC)  45-28—73
 
AMHERST, N.Y. – Sophomore Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) drained five three-pointers and totaled 25 points to lead Daemen College to a 73-66 victory over Mercy College here today in East Coast Conference women's basketball action. Daemen is now 3-3 over its last six games and improved to 6-12 overall and 3-9 in the league. Mercy dropped to 2-14 overall and 1-10 in the ECC.
 
Four players reached double figures in points for Daemen. Senior Lindsay Stoddard (Limestone, N.Y./Allegany-Limestone) recorded her seventh double-double in the last 10 games and finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two steals. Freshman Natalie Galus (Hamburg, N.Y./Frontier) also registered a double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks, while fellow rookie Taylor Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y./Immaculata) narrowly missed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Leah McDonell (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Cardinal O'Hara) chipped in four points, six rebounds and a team-high seven assists.
 
Freshman Maggie Salomone (Narragansett, R.I.) paced the Mavericks with 20 points, while junior Tanayzha Augustine (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) recorded her league-leading ninth double-double of the year and finished with 11 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks.
 
Stilwell, who has now totaled a league-high 55 three-pointers on the year, scored four clutch points in the waning moments to secure the win. Her driving layup with 54 seconds left gave the hosts a 71-66 lead, and her layup following a Mercy turnover closed out the scoring with 18 seconds left.
 
Daemen built a 55-48 lead early in the second half, but the Mavericks quickly cut the lead to two points, 55-53, with five unanswered points. Daemen maintained the lead for the remainder of the game, but never led by more than five points until Stilwell's bucket with 18 seconds left gave the Wildcats a seven-point lead. Mercy made it a one-possession game seven times down the stretch. A jumper by Salomone made it 66-64 Daemen with 2:25 to play, but the Wildcats answered with a three-pointer by Stoddard. Salomone then canned two free throws with 1:53 left. Both teams came up empty on their next possession, before Stilwell's layup with just under a minute left gave the Wildcats a 71-66 lead. Salomone was off target with a three-pointer on Mercy's next trip down the court, and both teams then committed turnovers before Stilwell closed out the scoring with 18 seconds left.
 
Daemen connected on four of its first six three-point attempts, which fueled the Wildcats to an early 18-5 lead. The hosts later took a 24-8 lead after Stilwell converted a conventional three-point play with 14:17 left before halftime, but the Mavericks responded with a 14-6 run and cut the lead to eight points, 30-22, following a layup by senior Alexis Monserrate (Locust Valley, N.Y.) with 8:55 left in the half. The teams then traded baskets for the next three minutes before the Wildcats got back-to-back buckets from Galus and Heinold to regain a 13-point advantage, 41-28, with just under five minutes left before intermission. Daemen still held a 13-point lead, 45-32, with just over two minutes left in the half, but Mercy scored the final 11 points of the half and cut the lead to two points, 45-43, following a three-pointer by freshman Maggie Salomone (Narragansett, R.I.) with five seconds left in the half.
 
The teams combined for 88 points in a fast-paced first half, but both teams struggled to score over the final 20 minutes. Daemen connected on just 10-of-35 shots (29%) in the second half and shot 36-percent (26-75) for the game. Mercy made just 8-of-38 shots (21%) in the second half and shot 32-percent (25-78) for the game. Daemen, which entered the game averaging seven three-pointers a game, connected on 10-of-25 from downtown, while the Mavericks connected on just 4-of-21. Daemen finished with a 57-52 edge in rebounds and also posted a 17-11 advantage in points off turnovers. Daemen also recorded an impressive 20 assists in the game. Mercy held a 32-22 advantage in points in the paint.
 
Daemen returns to action Tuesday (Jan. 28) when it hosts long-time rival Roberts Wesleyan College in an ECC game at 6 p.m.
 
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