AMHERST, N.Y. – Freshman Caroline White (Fairport, N.Y.), senior Sarah Saba (Lancaster, N.Y.) and redshirt freshman Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.) combined for 43 points to lead Daemen College to a 48-35 victory over Molloy College here tonight in East Coast Conference women's basketball action. Daemen has now won five of its last seven home games and improved to 11-14 overall and 8-7 in the ECC. Molloy suffered its eighth-straight loss and dropped to 8-17 overall and 3-12 in the league.
The Wildcats maintained their hold on fifth place in the ECC standings with three games remaining in the regular season.
The top six teams earn a bid to the upcoming ECC Championship Tournament. Daemen is looking to make its first-ever appearance in the ECC Tournament since joining the league in 2013-14. The Wildcats can clinch a spot in the six-team field with a win in one of their final three games, or a loss by the University of Bridgeport.
Tonight marked the fifth time this season the Wildcats have held an opponent to 50 points or less. It was the second time Daemen has limited Molloy to 50 points or less this season, as the Wildcats rallied for a 55-50 win at Molloy last month. The 35 points allowed tonight were the fewest points scored by an opponent during Daemen's NCAA Division II era, which began in 2013-14. The previous mark of 44 points was set last month during a 63-44 win over the University of Bridgeport.
In addition, the 48 points were the fewest points scored in a victory by Daemen since the Wildcats posted a 49-41 victory over Roberts Wesleyan College in the semifinals of the 2012 American Mideast Conference Tournament.
White scored 12 of her team-high 17 points in the first half. The three-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection connected on 7-of-12 shots (3-4 from downtown) and also totaled eight rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Saba once again stuffed the stat sheet, as she totaled 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and three steals. She has now scored in double figures in 24-straight games and stands just three points shy of becoming just the sixth player in program history to score 1,700 points. Filbert scored in double figures for the first time in five games and finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Filbert (216) and White (209) have now both scored over 200 points on the year, marking the first time since the 2013-14 season that Daemen has had two freshmen score 200 or more points.
Sophomores Sarah Young (Depew, N.Y.) and Carina Pringle (Rochester, N.Y.) also contributed for the hosts, as Young pulled down a career-high 15 rebounds and Pringle equaled her career-high for assists (6) and registered just one turnover. Pringle leads the ECC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5) and ranks fifth in assists per game (3.6).
Freshman Gabriella Aspuru (Farmingville, N.Y.) paced the Lions with 11 points and seven rebounds.
The teams went a combined 0-for-8 from the field with five turnovers over the first three minutes of the game and Daemen held a 6-2 lead midway through the first quarter. The teams continued to struggle on the offensive end over the final five minutes of the first quarter and the Wildcats took a 10-5 lead into the second quarter. The teams went a combined 6-for 32 from the field (0-for-12 from three-point land) with eight turnovers in the first quarter.
Daemen opened the second quarter with a jumper by White just 13 seconds into the frame, but neither team scored again until a three-pointer by Saba with 6:31 left before halftime gave the hosts a 15-5 lead. Molloy scored its first points of the quarter at the 4:11 mark to make it a 16-7 game, but Daemen answered with back-to-back three-pointers by Filbert and White to take a 22-7 lead. The Wildcats would take a 25-11 lead into intermission.
Filbert gave the Wildcats a 17-point lead, 30-13, with 5:39 left in the third quarter, but Molloy answered with its first three-pointer of the game a minute later. The teams traded baskets the rest of the quarter and Daemen took a 36-21 lead into the final quarter.
Saba sparked a 9-4 Daemen spurt at the start of the fourth quarter, as she scored seven of the nine points and her two free throws with 6:31 left to play capped the run and gave the Wildcats a 45-25 lead. Molloy scored eight-straight points to make it a 12-point game, but a three-pointer by White with 2:06 left gave the hosts a 48-33 lead.
Daemen shot just 31-percent (18-for-59) from the field overall and made 6-of-28 from three-point land. The hosts attempted just eight free throws and made six. Molloy shot just 19-percent (5-for-26) from the field in the first half and finished 14-for-45 (31%) overall. The Lions connected on just 3-of-16 three-pointers and went 4-for-8 from the charity stripe. The Wildcats finished with a 43-29 edge in total rebounds, and the hosts also held the advantage in points off turnovers (14-5) and second-chance points (17-7).
The Wildcats return to action Sunday (Feb. 18) when they host Queens College in an ECC game. It will mark the the final home game of the 2017-18 season, and seniors Taylor Heinold, Liz Miles and Sarah Saba will be honored in a pregame ceremony.
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