MIAMI SHORES, Fla. - Junior Caroline White (Fairport, N.Y.) scored 17 of her career-high 22 points in the first half to lead Daemen College to a 78-69 victory over Barry University here today in second round action of the Cesar Odio Thanksgiving Classic. The four-team tournament is being hosted by Barry.

It marked just the second all-time meeting between the NCAA Division II programs. Barry, a member of the Sunshine State Conference, claimed the first-ever meeting, 74-64, six years ago in Florida. Daemen, which entered the weekend ranked seventh in the NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region media poll, improved to 6-2 on the year. Barry, which suffered a 60-41 loss to Alaska-Anchorage yesterday, fell to 1-4.

The win comes a day after red-shirt junior Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.) poured in 38 points in a 77-74 loss to Nova Southeastern University in the opening round of the tournament. She became the first Daemen player to score over 35 points in a game since Raeann Stilwell netted 36 on Jan. 6, 2014. Filbert's 38 points were just seven shy of tying the school-record for points in a game (45) set by Sarah Soroka on Dec. 22, 2010. Her 38 points also ranks as the fifth most by a NCAA Division II player this season.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Daemen made just one of its first eight shots to start the game and trailed 8-2 halfway through the first quarter. The final 4:48 of the quarter was a different story, as the Wildcats made good on 6-of-8 shots and outscored the Buccaneers 15-2. Daemen held a 17-10 lead after one quarter.
• The Bucs cut the lead to three points, 17-14, a minute and a half into the second quarter, but a layup by senior Jordan Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y.) ignited the Wildcats on a 21-4 run. A conventional three-point play by White—who scored 12 points during the run—capped the rally and gave Daemen a 38-18 lead with 2:30 left before halftime. The teams traded buckets the rest if the quarter and Daemen took a 47-27 lead into the break.
• A three-pointer by graduate student Ashli Jeune (Westhampton, N.J.) early in the third quarter gave the Wildcats a 55-29 lead, but Barry outscored the Wildcats 18-2 over the next 5:31 to cut the lead to 12 points. Two free throws by sophomore Carly Sanders with 3:01 left in the quarter capped the rally and made the score 59-47. The Wildcats took a 64-51 lead into the final quarter.
• Daemen appeared to have regained control of the game when it opened the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run and regained a 20-point lead (73-53) following a layup by sophomore Katie Titus (Penfield, N.Y.) with 7:26 left to play. The Bucs rallied once again and eventually cut the lead to six points (75-69) with a half minute to play. Daemen turned the ball over on its next possession, but Barry could not take advantage of the turnover and the Wildcats secured the win by hitting 3-of-4 free throws down the stretch.
• White played all 40 minutes, connected on 8-of-13 shots overall and made 3-of-5 from downtown. Filbert played 38 minutes, made 7-of-12 shots and totaled 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Filbert shot 61-percent (20-33) from the field and scored 55 points during the tournament.
• Titus helped the Daemen cause with 16 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Jeune totaled nine points, four rebounds and three assists. Heinold added five points and seven boards, while junior Autumn Buchsenschutz (Port Allegany, Pa.) chipped in seven points, a team-high four assists and two steals off the bench.
• Junior guard Nichel Tampa paced the Buccaneers with 20 points, four assists and four steals, while classmate Harriet Swindells added added 19 points. 
• Daemen shot a sizzling 78-percent (11-for-14) during the second quarter and connected on 29-of-58 (50%) shots overall. The Wildcats made 9-of-26 from downtown and connected on 11-of-13 free throws. Barry shot 48-percent (15-for-31) from the field in the second half and finished 26-of-58 (45%) from the field overall. The Bucs made 7-of-19 from three-point land and made 10-of-15 from the free throw line.
• Daemen held a slim advantage in points off turnovers (16-13), while Barry posted an advantage in second chance points (8-6) and points in the paint (30-26).

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 20-4 over its last 24 games dating back to last season.
• White has scored in double figures in seven of Daemen's eight games and is averaging a team-high 15.1 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds.
• Filbert is averaging 14.8 points and recorded her 700th career point today. She has totaled 706 points in 65 career games.
• Titus has now scored 15 or more points in four of Daemen's eight games and is averaging 13.4 points. She recorded her 250th career rebound today and stands just 53 points shy of 500 for her career.

UP NEXT
The Wildcats are idle until Dec. 7 when they host longtime rival Roberts Wesleyan College. It will mark the East Coast Conference opener for both teams.


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.