AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College women's basketball team picked up its most impressive win of the season tonight at Lumsden Gymnasium, as the Wildcats used a dominant third quarter to post a 68-51 victory over Molloy College in a key East Coast Conference game. Daemen, which is off to its best start since opening the 2010-11 season by winning 14 of its first 17 games, improved to 14-3 overall and 6-1 in the ECC. Molloy dropped to 13-6 overall and 5-2 in the league.

Senior Jordan Heinold (Hamburg, N.Y.) led the way for the hosts, as she stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists, five steals and a block. She connected on 6-of-9 three-pointers—including the 150th of her career.

It was the six-straight win for Daemen, which moved into sole possession of second place in the ECC standings. The Wildcats also extended their home winning streak to 14-straight games dating back to last season. The 14-straight home wins ranks second only to Bentley University (16) among NCAA Division II East Region teams.

Both teams entered the game ranked among the top-10 team in the East Region by the Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA). Daemen is ranked ninth, while Molloy is ranked 10th.

TOP PERFORMERS

• Heinold came just two points shy of equaling her career high for points (25), which she set in a win over Wilmington University earlier this year. The team leader in three-point field goals made (44), she has now made at least one triple in nine straight games.
• Graduate student Ashli Jeune (Westhampton, N.J.) helped the Daemen cause with 11 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals, while junior Caroline White (Fairport, N.Y.) added 10 points, two assists and two steals in 26 minutes off the bench.
• Redshirt junior Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.), who entered the game averaging a team-high 14.7 points, played just nine minutes in the first half due to foul trouble and finished with eight points, three assists and two steals. Sophomore Katie Titus (Penfield, N.Y.) was also relegated to the bench during the first half due to foul trouble, but still finished with five points, a team-high eight rebounds and two blocks.
• Junior guard Gabriella Aspuru scored 13 first-half points for the Lions and finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Graduate student Kadijah Dickson, who entered the game averaging a league-high 16.5 points, played just seven minutes in the first half after picking up two quick fouls and finished the game with 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The game featured the top two defensive units in the ECC, as Molloy entered the game ranked first in scoring defense (52.5) and Daemen ranked second (55.4). True to form both teams struggled to score early in the game. Daemen trailed 7-2 with just over four minutes to play in the first quarter when a three-pointer by Heinold ignited the hosts on a 14-3 run. A three-pointer by White just before the shot clock expired capped the run and gave the Wildcats a 16-10 lead with 36 seconds left in the first quarter.
• Daemen took a 16-13 lead into the second quarter and neither team scored until the 7:03 mark when Aspuru canned two free throws to make it 16-15 Daemen. The Lions took a 17-16 lead after graduate student Robin Francis hit a jumper with 6:38 left in the half, but Daemen regained the lead after White drilled a three-pointer 14 seconds later. The hosts maintained a slim lead the rest of the half despite having three starters (Filbert, Titus, Jeune) and White on the bench with two fouls. Junior Autumn Buchsenschutz (Port Allegeny, Pa.) gave Daemen a 24-18 lead when she hit a three-pointer with 2:48 left before intermission, but the Wildcats went scoreless the rest of the half and took a 24-22 lead into intermission.
• The Wildcats roared out the locker room to start the second half, as the hosts connected six of their first seven shots (3-for-3 from three-point land) during a 15-2 run that gave Daemen a 39-24 lead. A fast break layup by Filbert with 5:26 left in the third quarter capped the run. Foul trouble once again came into play for Daemen over the final five minutes of the quarter, as Filbert, Titus and White all headed to the bench with three fouls each. The teams traded baskets the rest of the frame and Daemen took a 48-35 lead into the final quarter.
• Heinold's 150th career three-pointer gave the Wildcats a 53-37 lead early in the fourth quarter, but Molloy later cut the lead to 12 points (54-42) following a three-pointer by senior Kathryn Gibson with 7:29 to play. The lead was still 12 points (58-46) with just under five minutes left when the Wildcats shut the door following a jumper by Filbert and three-pointer by Heinold. Molloy came no closer than 15 points the rest of the way. 
• Daemen entered the game as the ECC leader in three-pointers made and attempted per game, and the three-point line was the difference in tonight's game. The Wildcats went 13-of-32 from behind the arc, while the Lions connected on just 4-of-14. It marks the fourth time in the past five games Daemen has canned 10 or more triples in a game.
• The Wildcats connected on 15-of-27 shots (56%) after halftime and went 23-of-57 (40%) from the field overall. The host made 9-of-14 from the charity stripe. Molloy made just 18-of-59 shots overall and was 11-of-20 from the free throw line.

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.
• The Wildcats have now prevailed in the last six meetings between the the two schools and owns a 10-3 advantage in the all-time series. The Wildcats are a perfect 7-0 at home against Molloy.
• Daemen entered the weekend ranked 18th among all Division II schools in scoring defense (55.4 papg). Daemen has held 13 of its 17 opponents to less than 65 points. The Wildcats are a perfect 13-0 when they limit their opponent to less than 65 points.
• Daemen is now 28-5 over its last 33 games dating back to last season.
• Heinold has moved into fifth place among Daemen's all-time leaders in career three-pointers made. She has totaled 152 triples in 84 career games. She currently ranks second among the ECC leaders in three-pointer made (44) this season.
  

NEXT JUMP BALL
The Wildcats return to action Sunday (Jan. 26) when they host New York Tech in another key ECC game. The Bears (11-8, 4-3 ECC) have won six of their last eight games and posted a 57-39 win at Roberts Wesleyan College tonight.

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.