TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Daemen Wildcats (0-0, 0-0 ECC) vs. American International Yellow Jackets (0-0, 0-0 NE-10)
Friday, Nov. 10 | 8 p.m.
Rochester, N.Y. | Voller Athletic Center
Daemen Wildcats (0-0, 0-0 ECC) vs. Nyack Warriors (0-0, 0-0 CACC)
Saturday, Nov. 11 | 3 p.m.
Rochester, N.Y. | Voller Athletic Center
GAME LINKS
Live Stats (Both Days)
Watch Live on ECC Network (Both Days)
Game Day
THE LEAD
The Daemen College women's basketball team tips off the 2017-18 season this weekend by taking part in the East Region Tip Off hosted by Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, N.Y. The tournament will feature teams from the East Coast Conference (ECC), the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) and the Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10). It will mark the third-straight season Daemen has opened the season at a tournament hosted by Roberts Wesleyan. The Wildcats opened the 2016-17 season by defeating Felician College (65-54) and Nyack College (76-54) during the ECC/CACC Challenge hosted by RWC.
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. Her first collegiate experience came as an assistant coach at Iowa State University (1986-88) and later as an assistant at Canisius College (1993-95)…between assistant coaching stops, Banker served as the head coach at Penn State-Behrend 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 four-year career and totaled 965 points, 646 rebounds and 198 blocks over her career. She ranks fifth among Daemen's all-time leaders in career blocks and eighth in career three-point field goals made (144).
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. Saba has played in all 81 games over the past three seasons (77 as a starter) and has totaled 1,257 points (15.5 ppg), 567 rebounds (7.0 rpg), 119 blocks and 105 steals. She has scored in double figures in 68 of her 81 career games and is set to become just the 13th player in program history to score 1,300 points.
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 78 of a possible 81 games over the past three seasons. Egan played in 20 of 26 games last year and has appeared in 38 games over her two-year career.
SEASONED SOPHOMORES
Sophomores Jordan Heinold, Carina Pringle and Sydney Jones all played significant minutes this season. Heinold started 21 games and averaged 26.2 minutes, 9.0 points and 5.2 rebounds with a team-high 44 three-pointers. Pringle started 20 games and averaged 27.8 minutes, 6.3 points and 2.6 assists. Jones played in all 26 games (5 starts) and averaged 14.2 minutes and 4.7 points with 22 three-pointers.
BACK FROM INJURY
Red-shirt senior Taylor Heinold and red-shirt 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). 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.
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 Fairport 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.
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING REPORT
American International is a long-time member of the Northeast-10 Conference. The Yellow Jackets posted a 19-10 overall record and 14-6 mark in the NE-10 last year. Head coach Kristen Hutchison is entering her 11th season at AIC and owns a 176-120 (.594) career record. AIC posted a 26-6 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament two years ago. AIC is the top pick in the 2017-18 NE-10 Southwest Division preseason poll. Junior F/C Dana Watts collected first-team all-conference honors last year. She led the East Region in both scoring (22.4 ppg) and rebounding (11.4 rpg) last year and also ranked ninth in blocks (50). Junior guards Jayda Gilmore and Alyssa Guyon also return to the starting lineup. Gilmore averaged 9.2 points and 3.1 assists, while Guyon contributed 7.2 points per game. Sophomore guard Rashana Siders led the team in three-pointers last year (39) and averaged 5.7 points.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. American International: 0-0
Streak: N/A
Last Meeting: N/A
NYACK SCOUTING REPORT
Nyack is a member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. The Warriors posted a 5-21 overall record and a 3-16 mark in the CACC last year. Head coach David Julien is entering his eighth season at Nyack. The Warriors were voted fifth in the 2017-18 CACC North Division preseason poll. Sophomore guard Bryanna Brown and senior guard Kelli Smoot top the list of returning players. Brown started 20 games as a freshman, led the team in three-point field goals (40) and ranked second on the team in points per game (10.3) and steals (37). Smoot averaged 7.3 points.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Nyack: 2-3
Streak: Won 1
Last Meeting: Daemen 76, Nyack 54 | Nov. 12, 2016 | Rochester, N.Y.
Recap
ON THE HORIZON
The Wildcats return to Rochester next weekend to take part in the Redhawk Alumni Classic. Daemen will face Lake Erie College in the opening round Friday (Nov. 17), before squaring off against Virginia Union University on Saturday (Nov. 18). VUU advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Division II Tournament last year.
