ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Senior Ashley Vanderwall (Palmyra, N.Y.) drilled six three-pointers and totaled 22 points to lead the College of Saint Rose women's basketball team to a 69-66 victory over Daemen College here tonight in opening round action of the Redhawks Classic.
It marked the first-ever meeting between the NCAA Division II programs. The season-opening tournament is being hosted by Roberts Wesleyan College and features teams from the East Coast Conference and the Northeast-10 Conference.
Redshirt sophomore Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.) paced the Wildcats, as she equaled her career-high with 19 points and also grabbed seven rebounds. Junior Jordan Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y.) added 14 points, while senior Erin Egan (Williamsville, N.Y.) made her first career start and chipped in 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Sophomore Autumn Buchsenschutz (Port Allegany, Pa.) also made her first career start and totaled five points, four rebounds and five assists.
Junior Courtney Clasen (Shoreham, N.Y.) helped the Saint Rose cause with four three-pointers and 18 points.
Saint Rose, which drilled 13 three-pointers in the game, opened the contest with a triple by Clasen and later took an 8-0 lead following a three-pointer by Vanderwall. Daemen chipped away at the lead and eventually took its first lead of the game, 14-13, following a bucket by junior college transfer Ranaveya Richards (Albany, N.Y.) with 3:43 left in the first quarter. The teams traded baskets the rest of the frame and Saint Rose took an 18-17 lead into the second quarter.
The Golden Knights opened the second quarter with a 12-2 run that gave them a 30-19 lead, but once again the Wildcats clawed their way back and eventually made it a one-possession game (33-30) following a layup by Filbert with 50 seconds left before halftime. CSR answered with a three-pointer by senior Isa Vera de Ray (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands) and went on to take a 39-30 lead into the break.
The Saint Rose lead was seven points, 45-38, midway through the third quarter, but Daemen outscored the Golden Knights 10-7 down the stretch and cut the lead to four points (52-48) after Heinold drained two free throws with :09 seconds left in the quarter.
Daemen opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back three-pointers by Buchsenschutz and Heinold and later took a 56-52 lead following a steal and layup by Filbert with 7:19 to play. A triple by senior Erin Sinnott (Owego, Ill.) with 4:12 remaining gave the Wildcats a 61-56 lead, but Saint Rose answered with a triple by Vanderwall and the Golden Knights later reclaimed the lead (64-63) after Vanderwall hit another three with 2:42 remaining. Filbert answered with a three-pointer at the other end to make it 66-64 Daemen, but Vanderwall's sixth triple of the game with 50 seconds left gave Saint Rose the lead for good. Clasen swished two free throws with 20 seconds left to make it 69-66, and Daemen turned the ball over on its next possession. Daemen still had a chance after sophomore Nina Fedullo (Amsterdam, N.Y.) missed two free throws with :09 seconds left, but three-point attempts by Heinold and Filbert in the final seconds were off the mark.
Daemen shot 38-percent (24-for-63) from the field overall and made just 7-of-26 from behind the arc. The Wildcats went 11-of-16 from the charity stripe. Saint Rose shot 52-percent (12-for-23) from the field in the first half and finished 22-for-47 (47%) overall. The Golden Knights made 13-of-26 from three-point land, but made just 12-of-22 free throws. The Golden Knights finished with a 37-36 edge in total rebounds, while Daemen posted a 24-14 advantage in points in the paint.
The tournament continues tomorrow (Nov. 10) and Daemen will face Assumption College at 2 p.m.
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