SPARKILL, N.Y. - Saint Thomas Aquinas College outscored Daemen College 6-1 over the final 1:34 to earn a 67-62 win in East Coast Conference women's basketball action here today. Daemen, which is off to its best start since opening the 2012-13 season, saw its three-game winning streak come to an end and dropped to 8-3 overall and 2-1 in the ECC. STAC improved to 9-1 overall and remained unbeaten in league play (2-0).

STAC entered the game ranked 24th nationally and third in the East Region by the Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA). Daemen, which rolled to a 68-48 win at Mercy College on Friday, entered the weekend ranked 10th in the D2SIDA East Region poll.

HIGHLIGHTS

• STAC bolted out to a 15-0 lead less than five minutes into the game, but Daemen regrouped and outscored the Spartans 13-5 over the final 4:53 of the quarter to cut the lead to seven points, 20-13.
• Daemen continued to claw its way back at the start go the second quarter and eventually made it a one-possession game (22-19) after graduate student Ashli Jeune (Westhampton, N.J.) made two free throws with 7:06 left before halftime. STAC quickly regained a seven point lead, 27-20, but two free throws by sophomore Katie Titus (Penfield, N.Y.) and a three-pointer by senior Jordan Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y.) got the Wildcats within two points (27-25). Daemen would come no closer during the first half, as STAC closed out the second quarter with an 8-2 run and the hosts took a 35-27 lead into intermission.
• The STAC lead was back to double digits, 40-30, early in the third quarter, but Daemen put together an 15-6 run and cut the lead to a point, 46-45, after redshirt junior Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.) canned a jumper with 2:40 left in the quarter. STAC turned the Wildcats back once again and answered with five-straight points for a 51-45 lead. STAC took a 51-47 lead into the final quarter.
• Both teams struggled to score early in the fourth quarter and the STAC lead was 51-49 when the hosts put together an 8-1 spurt that gave then a 59-50 lead with just under four minutes left. A three-pointer by Heinold made it a six point game, and after two free throws by STAC a triple by junior Caroline White (Fairport, N.Y.) made it 61-56 with 2:34 left. STAC went scoreless over the next minute, and Daemen made 5-of-8 free throws during that stretch to knot the game at 61-61. The hosts held a 64-62 lead with 16 seconds left when sophomore Alexa Huertas banked home a runner to give STAC a 66-62 lead. The Wildcats turned the ball over on their next possession and STAC made one-of-two free throws with 12 seconds left to close out the scoring.
• Jeune paced the Wildcats with a season-high 22 points—14 of which came from the charity stripe.
• Heinold went 4-of-9 from behind the arc and finished with 16 points and six rebounds, while Filbert drilled three triples and totaled 14 points. Titus hauled in a team-high 10 rebounds and also had two blocks, while While finished with seven points and six boards.
• Junior Zaria Thomas paced the Spartans with 17 points, while redshirt senior Ruth Adams added 15 points, nine rebounds and two steals.
• Turnovers and free throws played a big role today. The Wildcats finished with a season-high 24 turnovers and STAC committed 20. STAC finished with a 23-18 advantage in points off turnovers.
• The game was also plagued by 47 fouls (26 whistled against the host Spartans) and 48 free throws.
• Daemen shot a season-low 34-percent (17-50) from the field overall. The Wildcats made 8-of-29 from long range and made a season-high 20 free throws (20-of-27). STAC shot a blistering 58-percent (15-for-26) from the field in the first half and finished 25-of-52 (48%)  overall. The hosts made 4-of-11 from downtown and connected on 13-of-21 from the charity stripe.

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 22-5 over its last 27 games dating back to last season.
• It marked the first time this season that Daemen has held an opponent to less than 70 points and failed to win the game. The Wildcats entered the game 8-0 this year when they hold an opponent to less than 70 points.
  

UP NEXT
The Wildcats close out their non-conference schedule next weekend (Dec. 21-22) when they take part in the Saint Rose Holiday Classic hosted by The College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y. Daemen will face American International College in the opening round, before squaring off against the host Golden Knights during the second round. Both AIC and Saint Rose are members of the Northeast-10 Conference.


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.