GAME INFORMATION
Game No. 27
Daemen Wildcats (12-14, 9-7 ECC) vs. LIU Post Pioneers (20-6, 15-1 ECC)
Friday, Feb. 23 | 5 p.m.
Brookville, N.Y. | Pratt Recreation Center

GAME LINKS
Live Stats
Watch Live on ECC Network
Game Day

Game No. 28
Daemen Wildcats (12-14, 9-7 ECC) vs. New York Tech Bears (16-10, 10-6 ECC)
Sunday, Feb. 25 | 1 p.m.
Old Westbury, N.Y. | Recreation Hall

GAME LINKS
Live Stats
Watch Live on ECC Network
Game Day


THE LEAD
The Daemen College women's basketball team closes out the 2017-18 regular season this weekend by visiting league-leading LIU Post (Feb. 23) and New York Tech (Feb. 25) in East Coast Conference games. Daemen enters the weekend in fifth place in the league standings.

POST-SEASON PICTURE
Daemen has secured its first-ever berth in the six-team ECC Championship Tournament. The top six teams in the final regular-season standings advance to the ECC Tournament. The top two seeds earn a bye into the semifinals. Seeds three and four will host quarterfinal round games on Feb. 28. The tournament semifinals and championship will be hosted by Roberts Wesleyan College on March 3 and 4.

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. Daemen opened the 2017-18 schedule with two-straight wins, before struggling through a seven-game losing streak. The Wildcats have won five of their last seven games and are 10-7 since ending the seven-game losing streak. Daemen secured its first-ever berth in the ECC Championship Tournament after posting wins over Molloy (48-35) and Queens (57-55) 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, rebounds, blocks and steals. She has scored in double figures in the last 25 games this season—the longest streak of double-digit scoring for her career—and leads the ECC in scoring average (17.7 ppg.). She also leads the team in rebounds per game (7.0) and steals (43) and ranks second in blocks (33) and assists (66). 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 and on WKBW-TV.

1,700 AND COUNTING
Sarah Saba scored her 1,700th career point during the win over Queens this past Sunday and in the process became the sixth player in program history to reach 1,700 points. She stands just 32 points shy of moving into fifth place in career points among Daemen's all-time leaders. She has played in all 107 games over the past four seasons (103 as a starter) and has totaled 1,717 points (16.0 ppg), 748 rebounds (7.0 rpg), 226 assist, 152 blocks and 148 steals. She ranks sixth in career points, ninth in career rebounds and sixth in career blocks among Daemen's all-time leaders. She has scored in double figures in 93 of her 107 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 Stilwell (2013-14), Ellie Allen (2011-12) and Sarah Soroka (2010-11) have reached the 30-point milestone over that span. Saba has also scored 400 or more points in each of her four seasons—making her just the second player in program history to do so. Amy King (1995-99) was previously the only player to score 400 or more points in four-straight seasons.

MORE EXPERIENCE
Senior Liz Miles and junior Erin Egan also return to the line up. Miles is in her fourth season with the team and has played in 87 of a possible 107 games over her career. She has been limited to just seven games this season. She played a season-high 20 minutes in the win over Queens this past Sunday and grabbed six rebounds. Egan played in 20 of 26 games last year and has is averaging 17 minutes a game off the bench this season. She scored a career-high 18 points in a win over UDC on Feb. 4 and is averaging 5.6 points and 4.6 rebounds. She presently ranks fourth among the ECC leaders in both total blocks (34) and fifth in blocks per game (1.3).

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 36 minutes and dished out a career-high seven assists in the win over Queens and ranks fourth among the ECC leaders in assists per game (3.8). She has totaled 55 assists and just 15 turnovers over the last 13 games and leads the ECC in assists-to-turnover ratio (2.6). 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 26 games this year (8 starts) and is averaging 5.7 points with a team-high 37 three-pointers (11th in the ECC). She drilled five three-pointers and scored 17 points a recent win over Mercy.

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 21 games this season and totaled eight points in a recent 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 scored in double figures 11 times and ranks second on the team in points per game (8.8). 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 25 games and contributed a career-high 16 points and nine rebounds in a recent win over Mercy. She is averaging 6.4 points and 6.0 rebounds. White has started 19 games and is averaging 8.4 points and 5.2 rebounds with 33 three-pointers. She has scored in double figures in eight of the last 17 games and has recorded two double-doubles on the year.

ROOKIE HONORS FOR WHITE AND FILBERT
Daemen has collected ECC Rookie of the Week honors four times in the past eight weeks. Caroline White collected the honor for the second-straight week (and the third time this season) on Feb. 5 for games played January 29-February 4. White also collected the honor for games played January 22-28 and December 11-17. Redshirt freshman Tiara Filbert earned the honor for games played January 1-7. Filbert has totaled 229 points this year, while White has contributed 218. They are the first freshmen to score 200-plus points in the same season since 2013-14 when Taylor Heinold (240) and Natalie Galus (290) did so.

LIU POST SCOUTING REPORT
LIU Post returns 13 players and all five starters from last year's team that finished 11-17 overall and 7-11 in the ECC. LIUP was voted sixth in the 2017-18 ECC preseason poll. The Pioneers opened the year with three-straight losses, but are 20-3 since then. They enter Friday's game ranked No. 6 in the NCAA East Region poll and atop the ECC standings. The Pioneers can clinch the ECC regular-season title and the top seed in the ECC Tournament with a win in one of their final two games. LIU Post is riding a six-game winning streak and is coming off a huge 77-66 win over regionally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas Saturday. Head coach Deirdre Moore enters her 10th season at LIU Post. Senior forward Sasha Paterson and sophomore forward Mikaiya Moore have paced the Pioneers thus far. Patterson totaled 17 points and 10 boards in Saturday's win over STAC and is averaging 15.8 points and a league-high 9.4 rebounds. She leads the conference and ranks ninth among all Division II players in field goal percentage (.605). Moore, who collected second-team All-ECC as a rookie last year, has scored in double figures in 11-straight games and is averaging 13.4 points and 5.3 rebounds. Additional production has come from junior guard Shannon Doyle (9.0 ppg, 26 3pt FGs, 64 asts, 47 stls) and graduate guard Kylie Garrett (9.7 ppg, 50 3pt fgs).

ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. LIU Post: 3-6
Streak: Lost 1
Last Meeting: LIUP 81, Daemen 57  | Jan. 12, 2018 | Amherst, N.Y.
More Details

NEW YORK TECH SCOUTING REPORT
New York Tech returns six players and two starters from last year's team that finished 18-12 overall (10-8 ECC), advanced to the championship game of the ECC Tournament and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament. NYIT was voted tied for second in the 2017-18 ECC preseason poll. The Bears have won six of their last eight games and are coming off a 72-46 win over UDC on Saturday. The Bears host Roberts Wesleyan Friday before squaring off against Daemen Sunday. Second-year head coach Kenny Parham had to overcome the loss of sophomore forward Margaret Knollmeyer, the 2016-17 ECC Rookie of the Year, who suffered a pre-season knee injury and has missed the entire season. Graduate student Maia Hood and senior point guard Nina Vukosavljevic have paced the Bears thus far. Hood, a transfer from Division I Lafayette, scored 18 points in the win over UDC last weekend and is averaging 15.9 points and 9.1 rebounds. Vukosavljevic, a first-team All-ECC pick last year, has made a team-high 47 three-pointers and is averaging 13.9 points. She has recorded 10 or more assists three times this year and leads all Division II players in assists per game (7.0). Freshmen guards Shalie Frierson and Taylor Tripptree have made immediate contributions. Frierson has scored in double figures 17 times and is averaging 11.1 points and 4.6 rebounds with 30 three-pointers. Tripptree has scored in double figures 15 times and is averaging 10.3 points and 4.8 rebounds with 27 three-pointers.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. NYIT: 1-8
Streak: Won 1
Last Meeting: Daemen 79, NYIT 76  | Jan 14, 2018 | Amherst, N.Y.
More Details

ON THE HORIZON
The Wildcats open ECC Tournament play Wednesday (Feb. 28). The opponent and location will be determined after this weekend's action.

Follow Daemen College athletics on Twitter (@DaemenAthletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/daemencollegeathletics) to get live game updates and breaking news throughout the year.