GAME INFORMATION
Game No. 20
Daemen Wildcats (7-12, 4-5 ECC) vs. Mercy Mavericks (6-12, 2-7 ECC)
Friday, Jan. 26 | 6 p.m.
Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium

Game No. 21
Daemen Wildcats (7-12, 4-5 ECC) vs. Bridgeport Purple Knights (6-13, 3-6 ECC)
Sunday, Jan. 28 | 1 p.m.
Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium

GAME LINKS vs. MERCY
Live Stats
Watch Live on ECC Network
Game Day

GAME LINKS vs. BRIDGEPORT
Live Stats
Watch Live on ECC Network
Game Day

THE LEAD
The Daemen College women's basketball team opens the second half of its East Coast Conference schedule by hosting Mercy College (Jan. 26) and the University of Bridgeport (Jan. 28) this weekend. Daemen enters the weekend tied for fifth place in the ECC standings.

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 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, before struggling through a seven-game losing streak. The Wildcats are 5-5 over their last 10 games. Daemen defeated Molloy (55-50) and lost to Queens (70-60) last weekend.

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. 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 the last 18 games this season and leads the ECC in scoring average (18.2 ppg.). She also leads the team in rebounds per game (7.3), steals (26) and blocks (26) and ranks second in assists (45). She scored a career-high 30 points in a loss to nationally-ranked Virginia Union and was named ECC Player of the Week on Jan. 2 following her efforts against St. Anselm and St. Michael's. Saba's accomplishments were featured in her hometown newspaper The Lancaster Bee.

1,500 AND COUNTING
Sarah Saba became the sixth player in program history to score 1,500 career points during the triple overtime loss to Roberts Wesleyan on Jan. 6. She has played in all 100 games over the past four seasons (96 as a starter) and has totaled 1,603 points (16.0 ppg), 705 rebounds (7.1 rpg), 205 assist, 145 blocks and 131 steals. She has scored in double figures in 86 of her 100 career games and has registered 22 career double-doubles.

SELECT COMPANY
With her 30-point performance against Virginia Union, Sarah Saba became 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 81 of a possible 100 games over her career. She made her 2017-18 debut against Le Moyne on Nov. 25 and totaled four rebounds in 17 minutes. Egan played in 20 of 26 games last year and has is averaging 17 minutes a game off the bench this season. She totaled nine points, five rebounds and four blocks in a recent win over NYIT.

SEASONED SOPHOMORES
Sophomores Jordan Heinold, Carina Pringle and Sydney Jones all played significant minutes as rookies last 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 started seven of the first 13 games this season before suffering a season-ending injury. She made a career-high six three-pointers and scored 20 points in a loss to Le Moyne on Nov. 25 and registered her first career double-double (15 pts / 10 rebs) in a loss to Gannon three days later. She was averaging 8.0 points and 4.4 rebounds with 27 three-pointers prior to the injury. Pringle started 20 games and averaged 27.8 minutes, 6.3 points and 2.6 assists last year. She played 38 minutes and totaled a career-high 16 points in a win over St. Michael's and is averaging a team-high 3.6 assists per game. She has totaled 25 assists and just six turnovers over the last six games and leads the ECC in assists-to-turnover ratio (2.3). 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 played in all 19 games this year (8 starts) and is averaging 5.5 points with 27 three-pointers and 32 assists. She went 5-for-5 from downtown and scored a career-high 18 points in a loss to Notre Dame and had four three-pointers and 14 points in a win over UDC.

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 16 games this season and totaled eight points in a win over UDC. 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 11.2 points since entering the starting lineup 11 games ago. She scored a career-high 19 points in a loss to Bridgeport on Dec. 17 and registered her first career double-double (19 pts, 10 rebs) in the triple overtime loss to Roberts Wesleyan on Jan. 6.

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 started the first eight games before suffering a season-ending injury. She registered a double-double (12 pts, 13 rebs) a win over Nyack and was averaging 7.0 points and 4.4 rebounds before the injury. Young has started all 19 games and registered a double-double (14 pts / 13 rebs) against Mercyhurst. She is averaging 6.1 points and 5.8 rebounds. White has started 12 games and is averaging 7.4 points and 4.8 rebounds with 21 three-pointers.

ROOKIE HONORS FOR WHITE AND FILBERT
Caroline White and Tiara Filbert have both been honored as the East Coast Conference Women's Basketball Rookie of the Week this season. White collected the honor for games played December 11-17. The freshman forward came off the bench to help the Wildcats earn a victory over Mercy, followed by a loss to Bridgeport. White averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds over the two games while shooting 47.8 percent from the field (11-for-23) and 50 percent from three-point range (5-for-10). Filbert collected the honor for games played January 1-7. She played 53 of a possible 55 minutes in Daemen's lone game of the week—a 97-91 triple overtime loss at regionally-ranked Roberts Wesleyan. She connected of 6-of-14 shots from the field and totaled 19 points and 10 rebounds en route to her first career double-double. She established her career-high for three-pointers (4), rebounds (10) and steals (3) in the game, and the 19 points equaled her career high she posted in a recent 64-60 loss at the University of Bridgeport.

MERCY SCOUTING REPORT
Mercy returns nine players and five starters from last year's team that finished 4-22 overall and 2-16 in the ECC. Mercy was voted 10th in the 2017-18 ECC preseason poll. Head coach Jim Harter returns for his second season. The Mavericks opened the 2017-18 season with non-league wins over Dominican (73-70) and Bloomfield (80-59), before losing nine their next 10 games. The Mavericks had a two-game winning streak snapped following a 50-40 loss to Molloy on Jan. 13, and are coming off a 64-46 loss to Bridgeport last weekend. The Mavericks feature a balanced scoring attack led by freshman forward Amber Brown, who is averaging 12.2 points and 5.9 rebounds. A two-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection, she scored a career-high 30 points and 10 rebounds in a recent 80-75 OT win over Queens. Senior forward Latisha Clark is averaging 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds, while sophomore guard Caralie Wilson is contributing 9.9 points with 24 three-pointers and 33 steals. Senior forward Monet Keane-Dawes has missing the last seven games after suffering an injury during a loss to Daemen on Dec. 15. She was averaging 7.3 points and 5.9 rebounds before the injury. Additional production has come from junior forward Cynthia Perez (6.8 ppg) and sophomore forward Abigail Collier (6.8 ppg, 5.1 reg, 24 3pt FGs).

ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Mercy: 7-2
Streak: Won 4
Last Meeting: Daemen 72, Mercy 52 | Dec. 15, 2017 | Nyack, N.Y.
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BRIDGEPORT SCOUTING REPORT
Bridgeport returns eight players and two starters from last year's team that finished 15-14 overall and 9-9 in the ECC. UB was voted fourth in the 2017-18 ECC preseason poll. The Purple Knights opened the 2017-18 season by winning three of their first five games, before losing eight of their next nine. UB snapped a three-game losing streak following a64-46 win over Mercy last weekend. The Purple Knights play at Roberts Wesleyan Friday, before taking on Daemen Sunday. Sophomore guard Kadijah Dickson and 6-foot-5 junior center Samnell Vonleh have paced the Purple Knights. Dickson totaled 24 points and 10 rebounds in a recent 62-59 loss to Queens. She leads the team in scoring (12.9 ppg) and assists (2.9 apg) and ranks third in rebounding (7.3 rpg). Vonleh, a third-team all-conference pick last year, had 13 points and four blocks in a 64-60 win over Daemen last month and is averaging 11.5 points and a team-high 8.4 rebounds. She also leads the ECC in blocks with 40. Additional production has come from sophomore guard Briana Stoddart (6.8 ppg, 27 3pt FGs), senior guard Sofia Ermeidou (6.5 ppg, 31 3pt FGs) and senior forward Morgen Caution (6.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 31 blocks).

ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Bridgeport: 6-3
Streak: L 1
Last Meeting: Bridgeport 64, Daemen 60 | Dec. 17, 2017 | Bridgeport, Conn.
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ON THE HORIZON
The Wildcats are idle until next weekend when they travel to St. Thomas Aquinas College (Feb. 2) and the University of the District of Columbia (Feb. 4) for ECC games.

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