AMHERST, N.Y. – Redshirt sophomore Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.) scored a career-high 21 points and freshman Katie Titus (Penfield, N.Y.) registered her first career double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds to lead Daemen College to a 74-67 victory over Mercyhurst University here tonight in non-conference women's basketball action.
It marked the 2018-19 home-opener for Daemen, which improved to 2-1 following its second-straight win. Mercyhurst, a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), dropped to 0-3 on the year.
Filbert went 4-of-5 from three-point land and also handed out six assists in the game. It was a breakout game for Titus who totaled just four points and six rebounds in her first two collegiate games this past weekend. The former Our Lady of Mercy standout connected on 7-of-10 shots and also registered three blocks and two steals in just 22 minutes off the bench. Senior Erin Egan (Williamsville, N.Y.) helped the Daemen cause, as she was good on 4-of-8 shots and totaled 13 points, five rebounds and three steals. She has now scored in double figures in each of Daemen's three games this season.
While Filbert, Titus and Egan put up the big numbers, the biggest play of the night may have come from junior Jordan Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y.). Daemen was clinging to a 71-67 lead with just 12 seconds to play when Heinold took a pass from sophomore Autumn Buchsenschutz (Port Allegany, Pa.) and swished a three-pointer as the shot clock expired to seal the win. Heinold, one of the top three-point shooters on the team, had gone 1-for-5 overall and 0-for-3 from downtown prior to that shot.
Junior Nicolete Newman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) paced the visiting Lakers with a game-high 25 points. A transfer from Division I Cleveland State University, she went 6-of-11 from three-point land and also totaled five rebounds and two steals.
A three-pointer by Newman gave the Lakers an early 11-5 lead, and the visitors would eventually take their first double-digit lead of the the game (23-12) after sophomore Eliza Oswalt (Lower Burrell, Pa.) drilled a triple with 41 seconds left in the first quarter. Daemen answered with a three-pointer by freshman Sydney Barney (Midland, Pa.) just before the buzzer to cut the lead to eight points (23-15) after one.
The teams traded baskets for the first eight minutes of the second quarter, and Mercyhurst took a nine-point lead, 37-28, following a conventional three-point play by sophomore Emily Shopene (Erie, Pa.) with 2:12 left before halftime. Daemen outscored the Lakers 6-3 down the stretch and MU took a 40-34 lead into the break.
The third quarter was a wild one, as both teams put together impressive runs. Daemen opened the frame with 11 unanswered points that featured back-to-back three-pointers by Filbert and Buchsenschutz. A conventional three-point play by Egan capped the rally and gave the Wildcats a 45-40 lead just 3:15 into the second half. The Lakers answered with a 17-2 run that featured three triples from Newman. A layup by junior Kori Sidwell (Zanesville, Ohio) capped the run and gave the Lakers a 57-47 lead with just over three minutes to play in the frame. Daemen closed the quarter with a 10-4 spurt that cut the MU lead to four points (61-57). Titus was huge during the quarter-ending run, as she totaled six points, an assist, a rebound, a block and a steal.
Back-to-back layups by Titus and Barney at the start of the fourth quarter knotted the game at 61-61. The final nine minutes featured three lead changes and one tie, and neither team led by more than four points until Heinold drilled her clutch three-pointer with 12 seconds left.
Daemen shot 52-percent (16-for-31) from the field in the second half and finished 29-of-71 (41%) from the field overall. The Wildcats connected on 8-of-30 three-pointers and went 8-for-12 from the charity stripe. Mercyhurst connected on 10-of-17 shots during the first quarter, but made just 14-of-43 (33%) shots over the final three quarters The Lakers connected on 7-of-16 three pointers over the first three quarters, but were just 1-of-11 from downtown over the final 10 minutes. The Lakers converted 11-of-14 free throws. The Wildcats finished with a 40-39 edge in total rebounds, and the hosts also posted an edge in second-chance points (16-6), bench points (31-16) and points in the paint (40-26).
The Wildcats are idle until the weekend of Nov. 23-24 when they travel to St. Petersburg, Fla. to take part in the Eckerd College Thanksgiving Classic. Daemen will face Eckerd in the opening round and Florida Southern in the second round. Florida Southern posted a 25-5 record last year and is ranked 15th in the D2SIDA preseason poll, while Eckerd went 22-8 last year and is receiving votes in the D2SIDA preseason poll.
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