THE LEAD: The Daemen College women's basketball team hosts Molloy College (Jan. 22) and Queens College (Jan. 24) in East Coast Conference games this weekend.
Friday, Jan. 22, 2016
Molloy at Daemen - 6 p.m.
Lumsden Gymnasium, Amherst, N.Y.
DC ROSTER / DC STATS / MC ROSTER / MC STATS / LIVE STATS / VIDEO / GAME PROGRAM
Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016
Queens at Daemen - 1 p.m.
Lumsden Gymnasium, Amherst, N.Y.
DC ROSTER / DC STATS / QC ROSTER / QC STATS / LIVE STATS / VIDEO / GAME PROGRAM
COACHES VS. CANCER SUITS & SNEAKERS/WEAR PINK GAME PRESENTED BY ADPRO SPORTS: Friday's game vs. Molloy will serve as Daemen's Suits and Sneakers/Wear Pink Game to aide the Coaches vs. Cancer program which is co-sponsored by the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches...Suits and Sneakers Awareness Week is a nationwide event when basketball coaches across the country unite for a common cause - saving lives from cancer...the coaching staffs from Molloy and Daemen will don sneakers with their normal sideline attire...in addition, numerous promotional activities are planned throughout the game to help spread the word about the fight against cancer, and there will be ways for attendees to donate to the American Cancer Society.
DIVISION II DEBUT: Daemen successfully completed a three-year membership process and was approved for active membership status at the NCAA Division II level by the NCAA Membership Committee his past summer…Daemen was accepted as a member of the East Coast Conference (ECC) in July of 2012 and began playing full regular-season conference schedules in the fall of 2013…the 2015-16 academic year will mark the first year Daemen will be eligible for ECC and NCAA post-season play.
HEAD COACH DAVID SKOLEN: David Skolen is in his 24th season as head women's basketball coach at Daemen…he has posted a 461-262 (.638) career record and has guided the Wildcats to fifteen 20-win seasons, six conference championships, nine appearances in the NAIA Division II National Tournament and two appearances in the USCAA National Tournament…Skolen led the Wildcats to the USCAA national championship in 2013 and 2015.
THE WILDCATS (3-11; 1-7 ECC): Daemen returns four starters and 12 players from last year's team that posted a 14-15 overall record and an 8-12 mark in the East Coast Conference…the Wildcats were voted eighth in the 2015-16 ECC preseason poll…senior Raeann Stilwell and juniors Natalie Galus and Leah McDonell have been constants in the starting lineup the past two years…Stilwell has averaged nearly 13 points a game over the past three seasons and contributed 12.7 points last year…she also led the team in assists (80) and steals (44)…Galus averaged 9.9 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds last year, while McDonell averaged a steady 7.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists…sophomore Sarah Saba is coming off an impressive rookie season…a six-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection, she led the team in scoring average (14.2 ppg) and ranked second in rebounding (7.2 rpg) and third in blocks (37) last winter…redshirt sophomore guard Taylor Heinold also returns to the fold after missing all but four games due to injury last year…she averaged 9.2 points and 6.7 rebounds as a freshman in 2013-14…seniors Samantha Wozniak and Somara Colon and sophomore Liz Miles will once against provide quality depth…newcomer Jesse DeWaters comes onboard after leading Niagara County Community College to a 25-5 record and an appearance in the NJCAA Tournament last year…she averaged 11.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and a team-high 7.0 assists for the Thunderwolves last year…she also ranked second in three-pointers (37), blocks (54) and steals (71)…the Wildcats snapped a nine-game losing streak following a 76-68 win at LIU Post last Friday and are coming off a 76-48 loss at league-leading New York Tech this past Sunday…six of the losses during the recent skid were by six points or less, and two came in overtime…DC has also suffered league losses to District of Columbia (66-60), Dowling (74-68), Bridgeport (70-68 OT), St. Thomas Aquinas (81-54), Mercy (70-69) and Roberts Wesleyan (73-69)…Saba has scored in double figures in 11 of the last 12 games and is averaging a team-high 15.6 points…she also leads the team in blocks (24) and steals (23) and ranks second in rebounding (5.7 rpg)…she scored a career-high 26 points in the win over LIU Post…Stilwell totaled four three-pointers and 13 points against LIU Post and is averaging 9.9 points…she leads the team in three-pointers (27) and assists (45)…additional production has come from Galus (8.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 19 3pt fgs), McDonell (7.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg), Colon (6.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and Heinold (5.9 ppg, 16 3pt fgs)…Miles has averaged 9.3 points and 6.8 rebounds over the past four games and recorded a career-high 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds in the loss to RWC.
THE LIONS (5-11; 4-4 ECC): Molloy returns six players and two starters from last year's team that finished 11-16 overall and 7-13 in the ECC…Molloy was voted seventh in the 2015-16 ECC preseason poll… the Lions have won two-straight and three of their last five games…Molloy posted a 73-61 win at Bridgeport last week and is coming off a 66-51 win over Dowling last weekend…seniors Ally Leftridge, Kimani Jackson and Alexia O'Connor have paced the Lions thus far…Leftridge has scored in double figures 14 times and is averaging a team-high 15.5 points with 27 three-pointers…she scored 14 points in the win over Bridgeport last week…Jackson scored a season-high 28 points against Bridgeport and is averaging 13.8 points and 5.1 rebounds…O'Connor is shooting 40-percent (30-76) from three-point land and is averaging 8.6 points…additional production has come from junior Allyah McDonald (6.1 ppg, 3.1 apg) and freshman Ihnacinse Grady (5.1 ppg, 35 stls).
THE SERIES vs. MOLLOY: Friday's game will mark the fifth all-time meeting between Daemen and Molloy…the Wildcats have prevailed in three of the previous four meetings…the teams split the season series last winter…Daemen posted a 72-60 victory at Lumsden Gym…Shy Britton led the way with 21 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks…Ally Leftridge paced the Lions with 20 points and 12 boards…the Lions answered with an 83-81 win at Molloy…Aliyah McDonald scored 22 points and also grabbed nine rebounds for Molloy, while Britton totaled 21 points, eight redounds and four blocks.
CALL IT A COMEBACK: Both Daemen and Molloy have posted impressive comebacks during the brief history between the two schools…the first-ever meeting between the two schools during the 2013-14 season was a classic, as Daemen rallied for an 88-86 OT win at Molloy…Daemen used a barrage of three-pointers and rallied from a 24-point second-half deficit en route to the win—Daemen's first-ever ECC victory…Daemen set school-records for three-pointers made (16) and attempted (47) in the game…Raeann Stilwell led the charge, as she canned 8-of-20 from downtown and finished with 26 points…she tied the school-record for three-pointers made and attempted in a game…last year the Lions trailed by 22 points (57-35) early in the second half before rallying for an 83-81 victory—Molloy's first-ever victory over Daemen.
THE KNIGHTS (7-6; 4-3 ECC): Queens returns nine players and three starters from last year's team that finished 22-8 overall (15-5 ECC), claimed the ECC Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament…Queens was voted first in the 2015-16 ECC preseason poll…the Knights snapped a five-game losing streak following a 62-50 win over Molloy on Jan. 12 and is coming off a 91-42 win at Dowling on Jan. 14…the Knights host Roberts Wesleyan Friday before taking on Daemen Sunday…junior G/F Madison Rowland and her senior F/C sister MacKenzie top the list of returning players…Madison collected first-team all-conference and ECC Player of the Year honors last winter after averaging 20.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 4.3 steals…the 2015-16 ECC Preseason Player of the Year, she totaled 27 points, 13 rebounds and five steals in a recent 65-60 loss to regionally-ranked New York Tech and leads the team in scoring (19.8 ppg), assists (4.3 apg) and steals (4.6 spg)…she also ranks second in rebounding (8.9 rpg)…MacKenzie is a two-time All-ECC pick…she totaled 24 points, 20 rebounds and five blocks in the recent win over Dowling and is averaging 14.2 points and a team-high 10.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks…additional production has come from senior guard Kristen Korzevinski (12.2 ppg) and sophomore forward Melissa Fumano (6.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg)…Korzevinski scored 22 points in the win over Dowling.
THE SERIES vs. QUEENS: Sunday's game will mark the fifth all-time meeting between Daemen and Queens…Queens has prevailed in each of the previous four meetings…Queens swept the season series for the second-straight year last winter…the Knights posted an 82-67 win at Lumsden Gym…Madison Rowland poured in 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the hosts, while Raeann Stilwell (22 pts) and Shy Britton (20 pts, 10 rebs, 4 blks) pace the Wildcats…QC completed the sweep with a 68-61 win at Queens…Madison Rowland totaled 21 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and four steals…Natalie Galus scored a career-high 22 points for Daemen.
SHOOTING STAR: Senior Raeann Stilwell entered the 2015-16 season ranked among Daemen's all-time leaders in several categories…she played in her 100th career game last week and currently ranks 11th in career points (1,261), 10th in career points per game (12.4), second in career three-pointers made (232), first in career three-pointers attempted (727) and 11th in career three-point field goal percentage (.319)…she set the school-record for three-pointers made (77) and attempted (252) in a season as a sophomore and has become the first player in program history to record 60 or more three-pointers in three-straight seasons…Jessica Ruddell (2001-05) owns the school-record for career three-pointers made (242).
JUNIOR MINTS: Juniors Natalie Galus and Leah McDonell have been a constants in the starting lineup since their freshman season…both players have started all 69 games over the past three seasons…Galus has totaled 699 points, 475 rebounds and 137 blocks over her three-year career and ranks seventh among Daemen's all-time leaders in career blocks…McDonell has racked up 485 points, 310 rebounds and 158 assists.
SUDDEN IMPACT: Sophomore Sarah Saba is coming off an impressive rookie season in which she scored in double figures 24 times and was a six-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection…she led the team and ranked first among ECC freshman in scoring (14.2 ppg) and also ranked second on the team and led all ECC freshmen in rebounding (7.2 rpg)…she has scored in double figures 11 times this season and ranks seventh among the ECC scoring leaders (15.6 ppg).
WHAT'S NEXT: The Wildcats are idle until Jan. 29 when they travel to the University of the District of Columbia for an ECC game…click HERE for the complete 2015-16 schedule.
FOLLOW THE WILDCATS: Follow Daemen College women's basketball on Twitter (@DaemenAthletics and @DaemenWBB) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/daemencollegeathletics) to get live game updates and breaking news throughout the year.
