UNIONTOWN, Pa. – Tournament Most Valuable Player Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) scored 24 points and all-tournament selection Shy Britton (Rochester, N.Y./Niagara Univ.) added 21 points to lead the Daemen College women's basketball team to a 78-75 victory over Berea College (Ky.) here today in the championship game of the 2015 United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division 1 Tournament.
Daemen, the tournament's No. 5 seed, closed out the year at 14-15. The third-seeded Mountaineers, who were making their first-ever appearance in the tournament, finish 17-10. The tournament was hosted by Penn State Fayette.
"I was really proud of the team today," said Daemen head coach David Skolen. "They came out ready to play and were focused and intense from the opening tip."
It was Daemen's second USCAA national championship of the day, as the top-seeded Daemen men's basketball team rolled to a 77-53 victory over third-seeded Rochester College (Mich.) on the same court earlier in the day.
Complete tournament results and box scores can be found HERE.
Daemen, which claimed the 2013 USCAA championship but did not qualify for last year's tournament, is now a perfect 16-0 against USCAA teams since joining the association three years ago. The Wildcats defeated the No. 4 seed in the quarterfinals, the No. 1 seed and defending champion in the semifinals and the No. 3 seed en route to the title.
Stilwell, who scored 51 points during the tournament, made 4-of-8 three-pointers and also grabbed five rebounds. She closed out the year with a team-high 68 three-pointers and became the first player in program history to record three seasons with 60 or more three-pointers. Britton made 8-of-12 shots and also totaled eight rebounds, four assists and four blocks. Britton's four blocks gives her 94 for the season, which ties her with 2013 graduate Monica Kosior for fourth most in one season by a Daemen player.
"Raeann and Shy certainly came up huge for us today," said Skolen. "They picked a great time to have one of their best games of the season."
Freshman Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster), who totaled 20 points and 11 rebounds in Daemen's semifinal win, contributed 11 points, five rebounds and five blocks this afternoon. She closes out her freshman season with a team-high 411 points, which ranks as the second most in program history by a freshman. Sophomores Natalie Galus (Hamburg, N.Y./Frontier) and Leah McDonell (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Cardinal O'Hara) helped the Daemen cause as well. Galus grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and also totaled seven points and three blocks. McDonell made 4-of-6 shots and totaled eight points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.
"This championship was a total team effort," added Skolen. "Different players stepped up on different days." "We had several players that could have been the MVP. You can't ask for anything more than that."
Senior Johnesha Warren (Milton, Del.), a first-team USCAA All-America selection, paced the Mountaineers with 33 points, six rebounds, three assists and four steals.
Daemen scored the first seven points and never trailed in the game, but the Mountaineers answered with a 14-9 run and cut the lead to two points, 16-14, following three-pointer by freshman Jaime Roberts (Monticello, Ky.) with 13:05 left in the half. Daemen answered with back-to-back three-pointers by Stilwell and the Wildcats later took a 29-16 lead following a layup by junior Somara Colon (Bronx, N.Y./Mott Haven Village Prep) with 8:34 left before intermission. A layup by Saba with just under six minutes left in the half gave the Wildcats their largest lead of the half, 36-21, but Berea outscored the Wildcats 13-4 over the final 5:20 of the half and Daemen took a 40-34 lead into the break.
Daemen held a five-point lead, 44-39, early in the second half when the Wildcats scored five-straight points and opened up a double-digit lead, 49-39, after a McDonell layup with 14:21 left. The Daemen lead was six points, 54-48, with just over 11 minutes to play when the Wildcats appeared to take control with a 14-5 run. McDonell made one-of-two free throws with 6:52 remaining to cap the spurt and give Daemen a 15-point lead, 68-53. Daemen managed just two free throws over the next 3:46, but Berea was only able to cut the lead to seven points, 70-63, before Britton canned two free throws with 3:06 remaining to give the Wildcats a 72-63 lead. The lead was seven points, 75-68, with under a minute left when Berea's Zacchea Small (Elizabethtown, Ky.) hit a three-pointer to make it 75-71 with 0:48 left. Daemen left the door open by hitting just 3-of-6 free throws over the next 30 seconds, and Berea made it a one possession game, 78-75, when Warren scored with 0:12 to play. Daemen turned the ball over on the ensuing in-bounds play, but Berea was unable to get off a game-tying three-point attempt and was off the mark with a two-point attempt. Time expired after Stilwell grabbed the defensive rebound.
"They had a short roster (eight players) and I thought we could wear them down with our depth," explained Skolen. "That did not happen and they battled to very end. Give them credit."
Daemen shot 49-percent (29-59) from the field overall and made 8-of-17 from downtown. Berea connected on 28-of-75 (38%) shots overall and made 6-of-10 from behind the arc. The Wildcats struggled from the charity stripe (12-for-24), while Berea made 13-of-17 free throws. The Mountaineers finished with a 46-44 edge in total rebounds, while Daemen posted a 38-32 advantage in points in the paint. The Wildcats registered 14 blocks in the game, marking the fourth-straight game and ninth time this season Daemen has recorded 10 or more rejections in a game.
Daemen is a Division II provisional member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the East Coast Conference (ECC). Daemen is a member of the USCAA to ensure its student-athletes the chance at individual awards, and also its teams the chance at competing in postseason play. The Wildcats are not yet eligible for postseason opportunities within the ECC or NCAA Division II.
"I am so happy we have had the opportunity to take part in this tournament and bring home two national championships," said Skolen. "It is a really enjoyable experience and it is great that the players have something to play for once the regular-season is over."
Director of Athletics Bridget Niland weighed in on today's performance as well, saying "The championship won today is a credit to the student-athletes and coaches. Their resilient and total team approach inspires all of us who are working hard to establish a first-class NCAA Division II program here at Daemen."
POST-GAME NOTES: Raeann Stilwell has 205 career three-pointers and will enter her senior year 38 triples shy of breaking the program record for most career three-pointers (242) held by Jessica Ruddell…Stilwell will enter her senior year tied for 14th in career points (1,123) among Daemen's all-time leaders…Natalie Galus has totaled 120 career blocks and will enter her junior year ranked seventh in career blocks among Daemen's all-time leaders.
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