TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Redhawks Alumni Classic
Rochester, N.Y. | Voller Athletic Center

Game #3
Daemen Wildcats (1-1, 0-0 ECC) vs. Bloomfield Bears (0-3, 0-0 CACC)
Friday, Nov. 15 |  6 p.m.
Watch Live (Via ECC Network)
Live Stats

Game #4
Daemen Wildcats (1-1, 0-0 ECC) vs. Concordia Clippers (0-2, 0-0 CACC)
Saturday, Nov. 16 |  3:30 p.m.
Watch Live (Via ECC Network)
Live Stats


JUMP BALL
For the second-straight weekend the Daemen College women's basketball team will head to Rochester, N.Y. to take part in a four-team tournament hosted by Roberts Wesleyan College. The Redhawks Alumni Classic features teams from the East Coast Conference (ECC) and the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). Daemen will take on the CACC representatives Bloomfield College and Concordia College. Daemen is 5-3 against teams from the CACC since the start of the 2013-14 season.

OPENING WEEKEND RECAP
The Wildcats opened the 2019-20 season last weekend at the Redhawks Tip-Off Classic on the campus of Roberts Wesleyan. Daemen suffered a 77-70 loss to regionally-ranked Stonehill in the opening round, before rebounding with a 65-45 win over Franklin Pierce in round two. All five starters averaged at least 8.0 points over the two games. Sophomore forward Katie Titus totaled 16 points and nine rebounds in the win over FPU and averaged 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds over the two games. Newcomer Ashli Jeune totaled 17 points and five steals against FPU and averaged 13.5 points during the weekend. Junior forward Caroline White registered her first double-double (13 pts, 12 rebs) since her freshman season against FPU and is averaging 12.5 points and a team-high 9.5 rebounds. Redshirt junior Tiara Filbert (11.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and senior Jordan Heinold (8.0 ppg, 4 3PT FGs) also produced. The Wildcats forced 40 turnovers and collected 26 steals over the two games.

BANKER'S BACK
Jenepher Banker enters her fourth season as head women's basketball coach at Daemen. She has led the Wildcats to a 42-43 overall record and a 32-22 mark in the ECC since the start of the 2016-17 season. Last year she led Daemen to an 18-10 overall record, a 15-3 league record and a second-straight appearance in the ECC Championship Tournament. The 18 wins were the most for the Wildcats since the program transitioned to NCAA Division II in 2013-14. She also recorded her 100th victory as a collegiate head coach during the 2018-19 season. 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 seven players from last year. The Wildcats are coming off their most successful season since transitioning to NCAA Division II. Daemen posted an 11-game winning streak, won 14 of its final 15 regular-season games and posted a 15-3 league record last year. Seeded second in the ECC Championships, the Wildcats were upset by New York Tech in the semifinals and closed out the year with an 18-10 overall record. Daemen enters the 2019-20 season ranked third in the ECC preseason poll and ninth in the Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region preseason poll.

WILDCATS MAKE REGIONAL RANKINGS
Daemen was ranked in both D2SIDA Division II East Region media poll and the NCAA Division II East Region poll during the 2018-19 season. It marked the first time since Daemen transitioned to NCAA Division II that it has been regionally-ranked. The East Region of NCAA Division II is comprised of teams from the East Coast Conference, the Northeast-10 Conference and the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference

SECOND HALF SURGE
After winning just four of their first 12 games last year, the Wildcats were one of the hottest teams in the NCAA Division II East Region down the stretch—winning 14 of their final 15 regular-season games.

THE STREAK
Daemen posted an 11 game winning streak last year, which ranked as the program's longest winning streak since the Wildcats won 17 in a row during the 2007-08 season.

BACK IN THE FOLD
Redshirt junior Tiara Filbert and sophomore Katie Titus top the list of returning players after earning all-conference honors last year. Filbert earned second-team All-ECC recognition after averaging 12.0 points per game with a team-high 76 assists. Titus took the ECC by storm over the second half of her freshman season, averaging 17.4 points and 8.9 rebounds over the final 15 games. For the season, she led the team in scoring (12.1 ppg), rebounding (7.2 rpg), three-pointers (42) and blocked shots (38), and was a first-team All-ECC honoree—as well as the ECC Rookie of the Year. Senior Jordan Heinold (6.3 ppg, 37 3pt FGs) also returns after making 24 starts last year. Junior guards Autumn Buchsenschutz (3.1 ppg, 45 asts) and Caroline White (7.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg) also return after playing major roles last season. Sophomore guard Sydney Barney and sophomore forward Mickayla Ivy round out the list of returning players.

A FIRST FOR TITUS
Katie Titus was voted first team All-ECC and ECC Rookie of the Year last year after leading the team in points per game (12.1), rebounds per game (7.2), three-pointers (32) and blocks (38). She became the first women's basketball player from Daemen to garner a major award from the ECC since the Wildcats joined the conference. She also became the first freshman to earn first-team All-ECC honors since Madison Rowland of Queens College in 2013-14. Titus ranked first among ECC freshmen in points per game and second in rebounds per game. She shot 49-percent (109-for-222) from the field and averaged 17.4 points and 8.9 rebounds over the final 16 games. Her efforts earned her conference recognition in six of the final eight weeks. She was named ECC Player of the Week twice (Jan. 14, Jan. 28) and became the first player in team history to earn multiple ECC Player of the Week honors in the same season. She was also a two-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week selection (Nov. 19, Jan. 22), and a four-time ECC Rookie of the Week pick (Jan. 22, Feb. 4, Feb. 11, Feb. 18). She was only the freshman in the league to be named ECC Player of the Week and also the only ECC player to be named Player of the Week, Defensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week.

PLENTY OF NEW FACES
The 2019-20 roster features 10 newcomers—one graduate transfer and nine freshmen. Graduate transfer Ashli Jeune (Westhampton, N.J.) is expected to make immediate contributions. She previously played at Division I Rutgers University and UNC-Wilmington. Freshmen Abby Lundquist (Rochelle, Ill.), Marina Maerkl (Binghampton, N.Y.) and Molly Williams (Waterville, N.Y.) all earned all-state honors last year. Lundquist closed out her career at Rochelle Township High School with a school-record 1,909 career points. Maerkl led Seton Catholic to the Final Four of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class A Tournament as a junior and senior. She averaged a double-double as a senior and earned fourth-team Class A all-state honors. Williams led Waterville High School to its first Section III Class D title since 2005 as a junior and last year earned second team Class C all-state honors.

BLOOMFIELD SCOUTING REPORT
Bloomfield is a member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. Head coach Vanessa Watson is entering her third season at Bloomfield. Before Bloomfield, she had a storied 31-year career at the helm of her alma mater, Malcolm X Shabazz High School in Newark, N.J. where she totaled 10 state championships and over 700 wins. Watson returns three starters from last year's team that finished 6-22 overall and 5-14 in the CACC. The Bears opened the year with losses to Saint Anselm (89-60) and Southern Connecticut State (100-51) during the Bridgeport Crossover Classic last weekend and suffered a 96-58 loss at St. Thomas Aquinas this past Wednesday. Sophomore guard Caitlin Townes and sophomore forward Jaylah Bennett top the list of returning players. Townes scored in double figures 15 times last year and averaged 10.1 points and a team-high 3.9 assists per game. Bennett reached double figures in points 11 times last year and averaged 9.3 points with a team-high 55 three-pointers. Junior guard Jonise Ledbetter also returns after starting 22 games and averaging 4.3 points with 85 assists and 30 steals. Bennett was named to the CACC weekly honor roll this past Monday after averaging 17.5 points during the Bridgeport Crossover Classic and contributed 15 points and seven rebounds in the loss to STAC. The Bears are ranked fifth in the CACC North Division preseason poll.

ALL-TIME SERIES
First Meeting

CONCORDIA SCOUTING REPORT
Concordia is a member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. Head coach Christie Tomasino Conforti is entering her sixth season at Concordia. She led the Clippers to their first-ever appearance in the CACC Tournament in 2016-17 after going 8-11 in conference play. Concordia returns two starters from last year's team that finished 7-21 overall and 5-14 in the CACC. The Clippers opened the year with losses to Assumption (81-41) and Southern New Hampshire (77-74) during the Georgian Court Tip-Off Tournament last weekend. Senior guard Nicole Nicholson and sophomore guard Sara Hopkins top the list of returning players. Nicholson averaged 11.0 points last year and led the team in three-pointers (53) and steals (69). Hopkins is coming off a freshman campaign where she averaged 8.1 points and 2.9 assists. Senior center Amiya Rankins also returns after averaging 10.6 points and 3.1 rebounds last year. Freshman guard Christina Brown totaled 27 points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals off the bench in the loss to SNHU last weekend. The Bears are ranked sixth in the CACC North Division preseason poll.

ALL-TIME SERIES
First Meeting

ON THE HORIZON
The Wildcats return to action Wednesday (Nov. 20) when they host Edinboro University in their 2019-20 home opener.