MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Junior Amra Elezovic (Manchester, N.H.) totaled 18 points and nine rebounds to lead Barry University to a 74-64 victory over Daemen College here tonight in non-conference women's basketball action. The game was part of the Trip Sports Cruzin Classic being hosted by Barry.
Daemen suffered its second-straight loss and dropped to 1-4 on the year. Barry, a member of the NCAA Division II Sunshine State Conference, recorded its third-straight win and improved to 6-2 on the year.
Junior Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) paced the Wildcats with 17 points and three three-pointers. She now stands just one triple shy of becoming just the fifth player in program history to reach 150 career three-pointers. Sophomore Natalie Galus (Hamburg, N.Y./Frontier) stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, nine rebounds, three assists and four blocks. She has now recorded at least one blocked shot in 22-straight games dating back to last season. Senior Shy Britton (Rochester, N.Y./Niagara Univ.) finished with 12 points and five rebounds.
Five players scored in double figures for Barry. Senior Ashley Lutz (Topeka, Kan.) totaled 13 points, while senior Lynae Richardson (Miami, Fla.) and junior Kaila Britton (Salem, Ore.) combined for 21 points, eight rebounds and three steals off the bench.
Both teams made runs early in the game and Daemen held a 10-9 lead when a jumper by freshman Liz Miles (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero North-Syracuse) sparked the Wildcats on a 10-2 spurt. Stilwell's second three-pointer of the run with 10:21 left before halftime capped the run and gave Daemen a 20-11 lead. Daemen managed just two free throws over the next six minutes and Barry eventually cut the lead to two points, 22-20, following a three-pointer by Lutz with 4:45 left before intermission. A conventional three-point play Stilwell with 2:18 left in the half gave Daemen a 29-22 lead, but Barry closed the half with a 6-2 run and the Wildcats took a 31-28 lead into halftime.
Barry opened the second half with an 11-2 run and opened up a 39-33 lead just 3:40 into the second stanza following a fast-break bucket by senior Nyjah Porcher (New Britain, Conn.). The hosts later took a double-digit lead, 50-40, following a putback by Porcher with 11:11 left to play and the teams traded baskets for the next five minutes. Barry held a 57-47 lead with just over six minutes left when the Wildcats ran off six-straight points and later cut the lead to three points, 61-58, after Galus made two free throws with 2:54 left. Daemen went scoreless over the next 1:32 and the Buccaneers took advantage by going 6-for-6 from the charity stripe for a 67-58 lead. Daemen came no closer than six points down the stretch.
Turnovers and second-chance points were key statistics in the game. Daemen turned the ball over 20 times (compared to just six for the hosts) and the Buccaneers converted the turnovers into 28 points. The hosts also collected 16 offensive rebounds (compared to just five for Daemen) and Barry finished with a 19-2 advantage in second-chance points.
Daemen shot 54-percent (10-for-19) from the field in the first half, but connected on just 32-percent (9-for-28) of its shots over the final 20 minutes. Barry went 14-for-32 (44%) from the field in the second half and finished 26-for-71 (37%) from the field overall. Barry outrebounded the Wildcats 23-12 in the second half and finished with a 38-33 edge in rebounds for the game.
Daemen will play its second game of the tournament Thursday (Dec. 18) when it squares off against Goucher College at 2 p.m.
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