AMHERST, N.Y. – Senior Deasia Goodson (Freeport, N.Y.) totaled 14 points and 16 rebounds and freshman Chi-la Bady (Valley Stream, N.Y.) added 15 points, seven assists and two steals to lead Mercy College to a 70-69 victory over Daemen College in women's basketball action here today. Mercy improved to 4-9 overall and 1-5 in the East Coast Conference. Daemen dropped to 2-9 overall and 0-5 in the league.

Four players scored in double figures for the Wildcats. Sophomore Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster) scored a team-high 16 points, while junior Natalie Galus (Hamburg, N.Y./Frontier) added 14 points and eight rebounds.  Senior Somara Colon (Bronx, N.Y./Mott Haven Village Prep) added 10 points and six boards, while sophomore Liz Miles (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) scored a career-high 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench. Junior Leah McDonell (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Cardinal O'Hara) grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds, while senior Raeann Stilwell (Cheektowaga, N.Y./St. Mary's of Lancaster) contributed seven points and a team-high six assists.

Daemen held a 15-5 lead midway through the first quarter. Saba drilled two three-pointers and scored eight of Daemen's first 15 points. The hosts held a 19-10 lead with just under a minute left in the quarter and the Wildcats closed out the frame with a 6-1 spurt. A triple by junior Rachel Pawlak (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Niagara-Wheatfield) gave the hosts a 22-10 lead and buzzer-beating three-pointer by sophomore Taylor Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y./Immaculata) gave Daemen a 25-11 lead after one quarter.

A key stretch in the game came late in the second quarter. Daemen was in position to take control of the game after a three-pointer by Galus gave the hosts a 16-point lead (38-22) with just 2:26 left before halftime. Mercy closed out the half with 10 unanswered points and entered halftime trailing by just six points, 38-32. A buzzer-beating three-pointer by freshman Cynthia Perez (Middle Village, N.Y.) capped the late rally for Mercy.

Mercy chipped away at the lead early in the third quarter and eventually cut it to a point, 48-47, following a three-pointer by junior Paxton Reddington (Holmdel, N.J.) with 5:45 left in the frame. The Wildcats got a spark from Miles over the final four minutes of the quarter, as the sophomore scored Daemen's final six points during the quarter and the hosts took a 54-51 lead into the fourth.

Two free throws by Colon with just over six minutes to play gave Daemen a 62-54 lead, but the Mavericks put together a 14-4 run over the next three minutes and took a 68-66 lead following two free throws by Bady with 2:53 left to play. Daemen answered with a three-pointer by Stilwell 15 seconds later, and neither team scored again until two free throws by sophomore Casey Sullivan (East Lyme, Conn.) with 21 seconds left gave Mercy a 70-69 lead. Daemen had two chances to win the game in the final 10 seconds, but a jumper by Saba and a three-pointer by Stilwell were off the mark.

Daemen shot 36-percent (24-for-67) from the field, while Mercy connected on 31-percent (21-for-68) of its shots. The Wildcats attempted a season-high 35 three-pointers in the game and made just eight. Mercy was just 6-for-23 from downtown. The Mavericks did some serious damage from the charity stripe, as the visitors connected on 11-of-13 free throws in the second half and made 22-of-29 free throws overall. The Wildcats finished 13-of-20 from the charity stripe. Mercy finished with a slight 51-47 edge in total rebounds.

Daemen returns to action Tuesday (Jan. 12) when it travels to rival Roberts Wesleyan College for an ECC game at 6 p.m.

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