GAME INFORMATION
Daemen Wildcats (2-5, 0-0 ECC) vs. Mercyhurst Lakers (2-4, 2-0 PSAC)
Thursday, Nov. 30 |  5:30 p.m.
Erie, Pa. |  Mercyhurst Athletic Center

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THE LEAD
The Daemen College women's basketball team travels to Mercyhurst University for a non-league game. The schools met nine times between 1986 and 2005. Thursday's game will mark the first meeting between the two programs since 2005, and the Wildcats will be making their first trip to Mercyhurst since the 2000-01 season.

BANKER'S BACK
Jenepher Banker enters her second season as head women's basketball coach at Daemen after leading the Wildcats to an 11-15 overall record (8-10 ECC) last year. Banker arrived at Daemen with nearly 30 years of coaching experience at various levels, ranging from Division I to high school. Banker served as the head coach at Penn State-Behrend for five seasons (1988-93) where she led the NCAA Division III program to a 67-61 overall record. Her 1991-92 team went 23-4, winning the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) South Region championship. That team garnered Penn State-Behrend's first-ever national ranking in any sport. She was inducted into Penn State-Behrend's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994. Banker ultimately settled at the high school level, coaching the varsity team at Grand Island High School from 1998-2013—building the Lady Vikings into a regional contender with seven Section VI championships, four appearances in the Far West Regional, and one appearance at the New York State final four.

DAEMEN QUICK FACTS
Daemen returns three starters and six players from last year's team that posted an 11-15 overall record and an 8-10 mark in the East Coast Conference. The Wildcats were voted eighth in the 2017-18 ECC preseason poll. Key losses include guard Leah McDonell and forward Natalie Galus. McDonell collected second-team All-ECC honors last year after ranking fifth among the ECC leaders in both scoring average (15.9) and field goal percentage (.498) and second in steals per game (2.6). She started 105 of a possible 107 games over her career and has racked up 1,005 points, 511 rebounds, 258 assists and 150 steals. Galus was a steady contributor over her four-year career and totaled 965 points, 646 rebounds and 198 blocks. She ranks fifth among Daemen's all-time leaders in career blocks and eighth in career three-point field goals made (144). Daemen opened the 2017-18 schedule with two-straight wins, but has dropped five-straight since. The Wildcats are coming off a 68-64 loss to Gannon on Tuesday.

SUPERIOR SENIOR
Senior Sarah Saba tops the list of returning players. She became the first-ever women's basketball player from Daemen to earn first-team All-ECC honors as a sophomore and repeated the honor last year after averaging 15.9 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds. Saba scored her 1,000th career point during a loss to Saint Anselm last December—making her the 23rd player in program history to reach the 1,000 point plateau. She closed out her sophomore season as Daemen's leader in points (432), rebounds (165), blocks (44) and steals (36), and became the first player since former great Sarah Soroka in 2010-11 to lead the team in points, rebounding, blocks and steals. She has scored in double figures in six of the seven games this season and ranks second among all East Coast Conference players in scoring average (16.1 ppg). She also leads the team in rebounds per game (5.7), blocks (6) and steals (11) and ranks second in assists (17). She scored a career-high 30 points in a loss to nationally-ranked Virginia Union and netted 23 in a loss to Notre Dame.

SABA CRACKS TOP-10
Sarah Saba has moved into eighth place in career scoring among Daemen's all-time leaders. She has played in all 88 games over the past three seasons (84 as a starter) and has totaled 1,370 points (15.6 ppg), 607 rebounds (6.9 rpg), 177 assist, 125 blocks and 116 steals. She has scored in double figures in 73 of her 87 career games and has registered 17 career double-doubles.

SELECT COMPANY
With her 30-point performance against Virginia Union, Sarah Saba becomes just the fifth Daemen women's basketball player since the 2010-11 season to score 30 or more points in a game. Only Leah McDonell (2016-17), Raeann Stillell (2013-14), Ellie Allen (2011-12) and Sarah Soroka (2010-11) have reached the 30-point milestone over that span.

MORE EXPERIENCE
Senior Liz Miles and junior Erin Egan also return to the line up. Miles is entering her fourth season with the team and has played in 80 of a possible 88 games over her career. She made her 2017-18 debut last Saturday against Le Moyne and totaled four rebounds in 17 minutes. Egan played in 20 of 26 games last year and has is averaging 14 minutes a game off the bench this season. She totaled 11 points in 15 minutes off the bench in a win over American International.

SEASONED SOPHOMORES
Sophomores Jordan Heinold, Carina Pringle and Sydney Jones all played significant minutes this season. Heinold started 21 games last year and averaged 26.2 minutes, 9.0 points and 5.2 rebounds with a team-high 44 three-pointers. She made a career-high six three-pointers and scored 20 points in the loss to Le Moyne and registered her first career double-double (15 pts / 10 rebs) in the loss to Gannon. She leads the ECC in both three-pointers made (21) and three-point field goal percentage (.500). She is averaging 10.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Pringle started 20 games and averaged 27.8 minutes, 6.3 points and 2.6 assists last year. She played 36 minutes and totaled seven points and five assists against Gannon. Jones played in all 26 games (5 starts) last year and averaged 14.2 minutes and 4.7 points with 22 three-pointers. She has started all seven games this season and is averaging 8.0 points with 14 three-pointers and a team-high 20 assists. She went 5-for-5 from downtown and scored a career-high 18 points in a loss to Notre Dame.

BACK FROM INJURY
Redshirt senior Taylor Heinold and redshirt freshman Tiara Filbert will look to contribute after missing the entire 2016-17 season due to injury. Heinold started all 26 games as a freshman in 2013-14 and averaged 9.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. She played in all 26 games two years ago (2015-16) after injuries limited her to just four games as a sophomore (2014-15). She has played in six games this season and totaled eight points against AIC. Filbert missed her freshman season after suffering a pre-season knee injury. She was a first-team Class A all-state and Greater Rochester girls basketball Player of the Year selection following her senior year at Batavia High School. She has averaged 18 minutes a game off the bench over the first seven games and scored a season-high 16 points against Nyack. She ranks fifth on the team in scoring average (7.4 ppg).

THE NEWCOMERS
The 2017-18 roster features six newcomers—four freshmen and two transfers. Junior Erin Sinnott joins the Wildcats after playing the last two seasons at Division 1 University of Evansville. Sophomore Sarah Young, a former standout at Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart, was a member of the women's basketball team at St. Bonaventure University last year. Freshman guard Khamera Muhammad and freshman forward Caroline White both enjoyed outstanding high school careers in the Rochester area. Muhammad was a first-team All-Greater Rochester selection following her senior season at Rochester Early College. White played at Airport High School and was a first-team All-Greater Rochester selection as a junior and senior. Freshmen Autumn Buchsenschutz and Taylor Perry will provide depth at guard. Buchsenschutz was a three-time all-district selection at Port Allegany High School. Perry was a three-time all-conference pick at Ogdensburg Free Academy. Sinnott and Young have both started all seven games. Sinnott registered a double-double (12 pts, 13 rebs) in the win over Nyack and is averaging 7.7 points and 4.4 rebounds. Young nearly registered a double-double (9 pts / 9 rebs) against Virginia Union. White has started four games and scored a team-high 15 points in the season-opening win over AIC.

MERCYHURST SCOUTING REPORT
Mercyhurst is a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). The Lakers return just seven players and no starters from last year's team that finished 24-8 overall and 17-5 in the PSAC. MU tied the program-record for wins (24) and made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1995 last year. Mercyhurst was voted ninth in the 2017-18 PSAC West Division preseason poll. Head coach Deanna Richard is entering her 11th season at Mercyhurst. The Lakers dropped their first two games this season, before opening conference play with back-to-back wins over Cheyney (87-53) and Millersville (65-61). MU is coming off back-to-back non-league losses to Ursuline (68-58) and Walsh (74-50). Junior guard Maria Lapertosa tops the list of returning players after averaging 21 minutes off the bench last year. She drilled six three-pointers and totaled 27 points and 11 rebounds in a season-opening loss to Notre Dame and is averaging 15.7 points and 5.8 rebounds. Sophomore forward Amber Renz is enjoying a breakout season after playing in just eight games as a rookie. She has scored in double figures in all six games and totaled 27 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Millersville. She leads the team in scoring average (19.3 ppg), rebounds per game (6.7), three-pointers made (11) and three-pointer field goal percentage (.579). Additional production has come from sophomore forward Stephanie Petery (6.5 ppg) and freshman guard Emily Shopene (5.0 ppg, 2.8 apg).

ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Mercyhurst: 3-6
Streak: Lost 2
Last Meeting: Mercyhurst 89, Daemen 75 | Dec 19, 2005 | Erie, Pa. (Gannon Tournament)

DID YOU KNOW?: Daemen ranks first among ECC schools in three-point field goals made (9.0) and attempted (25.9) per game. The Wildcats also rank third in the league in three-point field goal percentage (.348).

ON THE HORIZON
Wildcats are idle until Dec. 8 when they open East Coast Conference play by hosting St. Thomas Aquinas College.