ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Senior Grace Carter drilled seven three-pointers and totaled 25 points and six rebounds to lead the Stonehill College women's basketball team to a 77-70 victory over Daemen College here tonight in opening round action of the Redhawks Tip-Off Classic.

It marked the first-ever meeting between the NCAA Division II programs. The season-opening tournament is being hosted by Roberts Wesleyan College and features teams from the East Coast Conference and the Northeast-10 Conference.

Both teams entered the game ranked in the NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region preseason media poll. Stonehill, which posted a 20-10 record and advanced to the second round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Tournament last year, is ranked fifth. Daemen, which went 18-10 last year, is ranked ninth.

The tournament continues tomorrow (Nov. 9) and Daemen will take on Franklin Pierce University at 3:30 p.m.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Six different players scored in double figures for Daemen, which nearly overcame a 14-point fourth quarter deficit.
• Junior Caroline White (Fairport, N.Y.) played 36 minutes and totaled 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds. She also collected two steals and dished out three assists. Redshirt junior Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.) also played 36 minutes and totaled 12 points, five boards and three steals. Sophomore Katie Titus (Penfield, N.Y.) also scored 12 points. Titus, the 2018-19 ECC Rookie of the Year, played just eight minutes in the first half after picking up her second foul early in the second quarter.
• Senior Jordan Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y.) added 10 points, five rebounds, three steals and three assists, while junior Autumn Buchsenschutz (Port Allegany, Pa.) netted 10 points in 26 minutes off the bench. Newcomer Ashli Jeune (Westhampton, N.J.) totaled 10 points, four rebounds and two steals in her Daemen debut.
• Carter went 9-for-15 from the field overall and 7-for-12 from downtown for the Skyhawks. Senior Morgan O'Brien and sophomore Sophie Glidden helped the Stonehill cause with 13 points each.
• The game was tied at 5-5 when Stonehill ran off 14 unanswered points. A three-pointer by Carter capped the run and gave the Skyhawks a 19-5 lead with 1:59 left in the first quarter. Stonehill took a 22-10 lead into the second quarter.
• Stonehill took its largest lead of the game, 29-12, following a layup by Glidden with 6:16 left before halftime. Daemen answered with an 11-3 run that cut the lead to single digits (32-23), but the Skyhawks closed the half with a 9-3 spurt for a 41-26 halftime lead.
• The teams traded baskets for most of the second half, before the Wildcats made things interesting with a late run.
• Trailing 69-56 with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, a jumper by Buchsenschutz sparked Daemen on a 12-4 run. A deep three-pointer by Filbert with 27 seconds left capped the rally and made it a five point game, 73-68. Stonehill went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe down the stretch to deny the comeback.
• Stonehill shot 50-percent or better in all four quarters and finished 31-for-54 (57%) from the field overall. The Skyhawks also connected on 9-of-18 three-pointers. Daemen shot just 26-percent (9-35) from the field in the first half and finished 25-for-68 overall (37%). The Wildcats went just 8-for-28 from downtown.
• Daemen finished with an advantage in points off turnovers (21-16) and second chance points (16-8), and the Skyhawks posted a 34-22 advantage in points in the paint.

GAME NOTES

• It marked the fifth-straight season Daemen has opened the season at a tournament hosted by Roberts Wesleyan.
• 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.
• Filbert has now totaled exactly 600 career points.
  

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.