AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen College got 22 points from redshirt junior Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.) en route to a 70-47 win over Roberts Wesleyan College in East Coast Conference women's basketball action this afternoon at Lumsden Gymnasium. Daemen, which is off to its best start since the program transitioned from NAIA to NCAA Division II in 2013-14, improved to 7-2 on the year. The Wildcats entered the game ranked 10th in the NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region media poll. Roberts Wesleyan, which had won four of its last five games, dropped to 4-4. It marked the ECC opener for both teams.

Daemen also extended its home winning streak to 11-straight games—which ties the Wildcats with Bentley College for the longest home winning streak among all NCAA East Region teams.

Daemen has now prevailed in the last three meetings between the two longtime rivals, and the Wildcats also now own a 36-22 advantage in the all-time series.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Neither team led by more than five points during the first quarter and Roberts Wesleyan took a 15-14 lead into the second quarter.
• RWC held a 19-16 lead early in the second quartet when the Wildcats took control with 14 unanswered points. Daemen took a 32-21 lead into halftime.
• The Redhawks opened the third quarter with four straight points to cut the lead to seven points (32-25), but a 19-4 run over a span of six minutes gave the hosts a comfortable 51-29 lead.
• The Daemen lead never dipped below 15 points in the fourth quarter, and the hosts took their largest lead of the game (70-45) with just under a minute to play.
• Filbert connected on 8-of-15 shots overall and made 2-of-5 from long range. She also contributed five rebounds, five assists and two steals.
• Junior Caroline White (Fairport, N.Y.), who entered the game averaging a team-high 15.1 points, scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half. She played a team-high 38 minutes and also added six rebounds.
• Sophomore Katie Titus (Penfield, N.Y.) scored 12 points in the first half and finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and a career-high five steals.
• Junior Autumn Buchsenschutz (Port Allegany, Pa.) was a spark off the bench for the Wildcats, as she played 27 minutes and totaled five points, a season-high seven rebounds, a season-high five assists and two steals.
• Senior Emily Miller, who entered the game averaging 15.9 points and 8.9 rebounds, led the Redhawks with nine points and five boards. 
• Daemen shot 42-percent (15-for-36) during the second half and and connected on 26-of-71 (37%) shots overall. The Wildcats made 9-of-30 from downtown and connected on 9-of-14 free throws. RWC shot 35-percent (17-for-48) from the field overall and made just 4-of-18 from downtown. The Redhawks connected on 9-of-14 from the charity stripe.
• Turnovers played a big role in the result. RWC turned the ball over 25 times and Daemen converted those mistakes into a 34-7 advantage in points off turnovers. The hosts also held an advantage in second chance points (16-7) and points in the paint (24-16).

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 21-4 over its last 25 games dating back to last season.
• White has scored in double figures in five straight games and eight of Daemen's nine games. She is averaging 15.0 points and a team-high 6.4 rebounds.
• Filbert scored 20 or more points for the second time this season and the sixth time in her career. She is averaging a team-high 15.6 points and also leads the team in assists (31).
• Titus has now scored 14 or more points in five of Daemen's nine games and is averaging 13.4 points. She stands just 39 points shy of 500 for her career.

UP NEXT
The Wildcats are idle until next weekend when they travel to Mercy College (Dec. 13) and regionally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas College (Dec. 15) for ECC games.


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.