GAME INFORMATION
Daemen Wildcats (3-3, 0-0 ECC) vs. Roberts Wesleyan Redhawkts (4-2, 0-0 ECC)
Wednesday, Dec. 5 | 6:05 p.m.
Rochester, N.Y. | Voller Athletic Center
GAME LINKS
Live Stats
Watch Live: NCAA Facebook
Watch Live: NCAA Twitter
Watch Live: ECC Network
Listen: WYSL 1040
Game Day
JUMP BALL
The Daemen College women's basketball team opens East Coast Conference play when it travels to long-time rival Roberts Wesleyan College. The Wildcats are coming off a 58-52 road win at Gannon last Wednesday, Nov. 28. It was their first win over the Golden Knights since the 2004-05 season, and their first at GU's Hammermill Center since the 1996-97 season. Roberts Wesleyan will bring a four-game winning streak into Wednesday's contest.
NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
The game has been selected to be broadcast as part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Basketball Showcase. In an agreement between the two institutions, the NCAA and its media partner, Niles Media Group, both games that evening will be broadcast live on the NCAA Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as on the East Coast Conference Network.
ROAD WARRIORS
Nine of Daemen's first 10 games will be road or neutral site games. Wednesday's game will be the fourth of seven-straight road or neutral site games for the Wildcats. Daemen's next home game is set for Jan. 3 against Saint Anselm College.
BANKER'S BACK
Jenepher Banker enters her third season as head women's basketball coach at Daemen. Over the past two seasons she has led the Wildcats to a 23-32 overall record and a 17-19 mark in the ECC. Last year she led Daemen to its first-ever appearance in the ECC Championship Tournament. 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 eight players from last year's team that posted an 12-17 overall record and a 9-9 mark in the East Coast Conference. The Wildcats earned a bid to the ECC Championship Tournament for the first time since joining the league in 2013-14. Daemen suffered a 76-64 loss to Roberts Wesleyan in the ECC Tournament quarterfinals. The Wildcats are ranked eighth in the ECC preseason poll. The Wildcats opened the 2018-19 season by splitting two games during the Redhawks Classic hosted by Roberts Wesleyan College. Daemen suffered a 69-66 loss to St. Rose in the opening round, before rebounding with a 73-48 win over Assumption in round two. The Wildcats posted a 74-67 win over Mercyhurst at Lumsden Gym on Nov. 15, before suffering back-to-back losses to regionally-ranked Eckerd (57-49) and nationally-ranked Florida Southern (96-55) during the Eckerd Thanksgiving Classic. Daemen got back into the win column with a 58-52 win at Gannon last Wednesday.
HISTORIC WINS
The Wildcats trailed Mercyhurst by 10 points (59-49) late in the third quarter, before outscoring the Lakers 25-8 the rest of the way to secure their first win over a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) team since the 2004-05 season when the Wildcats posted a 90-82 win over Gannon. Daemen's win over Gannon last week marked its first win in the series since the 2004-05 season, and its first at Gannon's Hammermill Center since the 1996-97 season.
A NEW ERA
A familiar face will be missing from the Daemen lineup following the graduation of Sarah Saba. A four-year starter for the Wildcats, she played in all 110 games over her career and totaled 1,774 points (16.1 ppg), 770 rebounds (7.0 rpg), 157 blocks and 157 steals. She scored in double figures in 96 of her 110 career games and ranks fifth in career points among Daemen's all-time leaders. She also ranks seventh in career rebounds and sixth in career blocks. 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 as a junior and senior. She averaged an ECC-best 17.7 points last year and became the first women's basketball player from Daemen to lead the league in scoring average.
SENSATIONAL SOPHOMORES
Sophomores Tiara Filbert and Caroline White are both coming off solid rookie seasons. Filbert, who sat out the 2016-17 season due to injury, played in all 29 games last year and started 20 of the final 21 games. She ranked second on the team in total points (252), scoring average (8.7) and defensive rebounds (115). A one-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection, she scored in double figures 12 times, including 10 of her final 19 games. Filbert scored a career-high 21 points in the win over Mercyhurst and is averaging a team-high 14.5 points. She also leads the team in field goal percentage (.542), three-pointers made (14) and three-point field goal percentage (.560) and steals (13). Her three-point field goal percentage ranks first among all ECC players. White played in all 29 games and started 22 games last year. She ranked third on the team in total points (249), scoring average (8.6), minutes per game (29.9), total rebounds (149) and rebounds per game (5.1). A three-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection, she ranked second in three-pointers made (36) and scored in double figures 11 times. White scored 15 points in the win over Assumption during the Redhawks Classic. Fellow sophomore Autumn Buchsenschutz is playing a much larger role this year after seeing limited playing time as a freshman. She has started all six games this season and is averaging 23.2 minutes a game. She scored a career-high 13 points and handed out four assists in the win over Gannon and has totaled a team-high 16 assists on the year.
SUPER SUB TO SENIOR STARTER
Senior Erin Egan played in 27 of 29 games last year and averaged 17 minutes a game off the bench. She averaged 5.4 points and 4.6 rebounds and ranked second on the team in blocks (34) and steals (26). She has started the first six games of 2018-19 and ranks second on the team in scoring average (9.5), rebounds per game (5.0) and steals (11). She registered 14 points and nine rebounds in the season-opening loss to St. Rose.
BACK FROM INJURY
Junior Jordan Heinold and senior Erin Sinnott both had their 2017-18 seasons cut short by injury. Heinold played in the first 13 games (7 starts) before missing the remainder of the regular-season due to injury. She averaged 7.4 points and 4.1 rebounds and ranked fourth on the team in three-pointers made (27) despite missing 15 games. She has canned 75 three-pointers over her career. She scored 14 points in the season-opening loss to St. Rose. Sinnott started the first eight games last year before missing the remainder of the season. A transfer from Division I Evansville, she was averaging 7.0 points and 4.4 rebounds prior to the injury.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Junior Sarah Young made an immediate impact with the team after transferring from Division I St. Bonaventure last year. She started 28 games, averaged 6.3 points and led the team in offensive rebounds (80) and field goal percentage (.500). She also ranked second in rebounds per game (5.9) and third in blocked shots (22).
TALENTED NEWCOMERS
The 2018-19 roster features six newcomers—one junior college transfer and five freshmen. Junior guard Ranaveya Richards joins the Wildcats after playing the last two seasons at Finger Lakes CC. She earned NJCAA Division III all-America honors last year after averaging 21.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.2 assists. Freshman guard Sydney Barney was a four-year starter at Beaver Area (Pa.) High School and earned all-district honors as a senior. Freshman forward Mickayla Ivy led East Grand Rapids (Mich.) to a 20-4 record and its first Class A District championship since 2009 last year. Freshman guard Vivian Ladd is a product of Johnson City (N.Y.) High School and collected first-team all-region and fifth-team all-state (Class A) as a junior. Freshman guard Katie Price led Fredonia (N.Y.) High School to back-to-back Section VI Class B titles as a junior and senior. Freshman forward Katie Titus enjoyed an outstanding career at regional power Our Lady of Mercy High School in Rochester, N.Y. A two-time first-team All-Greater Rochester selection, she led the Monarchs to 63 wins, two Section V titles and two NYSPHSAA Class AA "Final Four" appearances.
TITUS COLLECTS CONFERENCE HONOR
Freshman forward Katie Titus was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 19 after totaling 12 defensive rebounds, three blocks and two steals in the win over Mercyhurst. For the game, she totaled 14 points, 15 rebounds, three blocks and two steals in 22 minutes off the bench. It marked her first career double-double. Titus scored a career-high 19 points in the loss to Eckerd and is averaging 7.5 and a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game.
ROBERTS WESLEYAN SCOUTING REPORT
Roberts Wesleyan returns seven players and two starters from last year's team that finished 20-10 overall (13-5 ECC) and advanced to the semifinals of the ECC Tournament. Kevin Clifford was hired as head coach in August following the departure of Gary Andrews who amassed a record of 70-30 over the past three seasons. RWC was voted fourth in the ECC preseason poll. The Redhawks ran their winning streak to four-straight games following an 81-62 win over Chestnut Hill at the Voller Athletic Center this past Saturday. Four of RWC's first six games have been played on their home court. Junior forward Emily Miller tops the list of returning players after averaging 14.5 points and 9.0 rebounds and earning second-team All-ECC honors last year. Miller has registered a double-double in five of the six games this year and totaled 18 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Chestnut Hill. She ranks second among the ECC leaders in scoring (19 ppg) and first in rebounding (12.3 rpg). Senior guard Taylor Bynoe also returns to the starting lineup and is averaging 13.8 points and 6.6 rebounds. She totaled 17 points and nine boards in an early season loss to Saint Rose. Junior forward Tashayla Sutorius (10.7 ppg) and junior guard Sara Nady (10.0 ppg, 14 three-pointers) have also produced. Nady had five three-pointers and 19 points in the win over Chestnut Hill.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Roberts Wesleyan: 33-24
Streak: Lost 4
Last Meeting: RWC 76, Daemen 64 | ECC Tournament | Feb. 28, 2018 | Rochester, N.Y.
More Details
DID YOU KNOW?
Close games between Daemen and Roberts Wesleyan have been the norm in recent years, as six of the last nine meetings have been decided by eight points or less—and two of those games were decided by just a single point. The teams played to a triple-overtime thriller last year, which marked the first time since January 10, 2012 that a game between the two rivals has been decided in overtime—and the first time in the 27-year history between the schools that a game has gone into triple overtime.
ON THE HORIZON
Daemen is idle until the weekend of Dec. 14-16 when it travels to Long Island, N.Y. for ECC games against Long Island University Post (Dec. 14) and New York Institute of Technology (Dec. 16).
