AMHERST, N.Y. - Junior Caroline White (Fairport, N.Y.) scored 14 of her team-high 18 points in the first half to lead Daemen College to a 64-57 victory over Edinboro University here tonight in non-conference women's basketball action. It marked the 2019-20 home opener for Daemen, which ran its winning streak to four-straight games and improved to 4-1 on the year. Edinboro, a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), dropped to 1-1.

Both teams entered the game ranked in their respective regions. Daemen is ranked ninth in the NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region media poll, while the Fighting Scots are ranked seventh in the D2SIDA Atlantic Region media poll. EU has been one of the more successful NCAA Division II programs in recent years, having won 213 games and made six NCAA Tournament appearances over the past nine seasons.

Daemen also snapped a six-game losing streak to the Fighting Scots. The Wildcats last defeated Edinboro during the 1996-97 season.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Both teams struggled to score throughout the first quarter. The game was tied at 7-7 six minutes into the quarter when the Wildcats got unanswered baskets from redshirt junior Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.), graduate student Ashli Jeune (Westhampton, N.J.) and White to take a 13-7 lead. Daemen would take a 13-9 lead into the second quarter.
• White gave the Wildcats a 15-12 lead early in the second quarter, before senior Michaela Barnes answered with a conventional three-point play for EU to knot the score at 15-15 with 7:35 left before halftime. The teams then traded three pointers over the next few minutes and the game was tied at 21-21 when a jumper by White sparked the Wildcats on a 7-0 run. A three-pointer by White with 2:57 left in the quarter gave the Wildcats their largest lead of the half, 28-21. Both teams once again struggled to score over the rest of the half and Daemen took a 28-23 lead into halftime.
• The scoring struggles continued for both teams early in the third quarter and Daemen held a 35-28 lead when the Wildcats put together a 6-2 spurt and took a 41-30 lead. A jumper by White with 5:24 left in the quarter capped the run. Neither team scored again until the 1:47 mark of the third when a layup by White made the Daemen lead 13 points, 43-30. EU closed out the quarter with back-to-back three-pointers by junior Madison Amalia and Daemen took a 43-36 lead into the fourth quarter.
• The scoring pace picked up early in the fourth quarter and the Daemen lead was six points, 50-44, when the hosts got back-to-back buckets from Jeune and Filbert to take a 54-44 lead with just under six minutes to play. Neither team would score again until the 2:01 mark when Barnes made two free throws to make it an eight point game. A three-pointer by Amalia with 1:20 to play made it a two-possession game (56-50), but the Wildcats made 8-of-10 from the charity stripe—5-of-6 by junior Autumn Buchsenschutz (Port Allegany, Pa.)—down the stretch to secure the win.
• White played all 40 minutes for Daemen, connected on 8-of-14 shots and also grabbed eight rebounds. She has now scored in double figures in four of Daemen's first five games. Filbert added 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
• Senior Jordan Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y.) added a double-double with 10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, while sophomore Katie Titus (Penfield, N.Y.) chipped in 10 points and three boards. Jeune finished with six points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
• Amalia connected on 5-of-9 three-pointers and scored a team-high 17 points for EU. Barnes, a honorable mention all-America selection by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and Women's Division II Bulletin last year, added 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. 
• Daemen shot 35-percent (23-for-65) from the field overall and made 7-of-24 from downtown. The Fighting Scots shot 31-percent (20-for-64) from the field overall and made 10-of-27 from three-point land.
• Daemen posted a 55-36 edge in total rebounds, and the hosts grabbed 21 offensive rebounds which they converted into a 17-7 edge in second chance points.
• Daemen also finished with an advantage in points off turnovers (19-8) and points in the paint (26-20).

GAME NOTES

• 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, posted a 15-3 league record and finished 18-10 overall.
• Daemen is now 18-3 over its last 21 games dating back to last season.
• The Wildcats also ran their home court winning streak to 10-straight games dating back to last season.
  

UP NEXT
The Wildcats travel to Wilmington University Saturday (Nov. 23) for a non-conference game.


Daemen College features the only NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.