GAME #19
DAEMEN WILDCATS (15-3, 7-1 ECC) vs. ROBERTS WESLEYAN REDHAWKS (11-7, 4-4 ECC)
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1
VOLLER ATHLETIC CENTER (ROCHESTER, N.Y.) - 2 PM

FAST BREAK POINTS: 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAME
1. The Wildcats enter the weekend riding a seven-game winning streak and in second place in the ECC standings. The seven straight wins is tied for the second longest current winning streak among NCAA Division II East Region teams with Holy Family. USciences tops the list with 11-straight wins.

2.  Daemen is ranked eighth in this week's Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region media poll. The Wildcats have appeared in the last 12 D2SIDA regional polls dating back to last season.

3.  Daemen leads the ECC in scoring margin (+15.0) and ranks second in both scoring offense (69.6 ppg) and scoring defense (54.6 papg).

4. Daemen is the only team that features three players among the league's top-10 scorers. Tiara Filbert ranks third (14.1 ppg), Caroline White ranks fifth (13.9 ppg) and Katie Titus ranks eighth (13.3 ppg).

5.  Tiara Filbert leads the Wildcats in minutes per game (33.7) and points per game (14.1) and ranks second in total steals (30). She stands nine points shy of 850 for her career and is closing in on 200 career assists and 100 career steals. She enters the weekend with 841 points, 182 assists and 90 steals in 75 career games,

6.  Caroline White returned the starting lineup last Sunday against New York Tech and contributed a team-high 16 points. She ranks second on the team in both points per game (13.9) and rebounds per game (6.8) and has already scored more points this season (223) than she did all of last season (188).

7.  Katie Titus has averaged 15.5 points and 10.2 rebounds over the last six games. She has posted a double-double in four of the last five games and recorded her 11th career double-double (12 pts, 10 rebs) during last Sunday's win over New York Tech.

8.  Jordan Heinold ranks second among the ECC leaders in three-pointers made (47). She has made at least one three-pointer in 10-straight games and is shooting 45-percent (30-67) from three-point land over that span.

9.  Ashli Jeune ranks fourth among the ECC leaders in both free throws made (56) and attempted (84).

10.  Daemen has held 14 of its 18 opponents to less than 65 points and the Wildcats are 14-0 in those games.    

ROBERTS WESLEYAN SCOUTING REPORT

• Roberts Wesleyan returns six players and four starters from last year's team that finished 15-17 overall and 10-8 in the ECC.
• Kevin Clifford returns for his second season as head coach. RWC was voted fourth in the ECC preseason poll.
• The Redhawks had a seven game winning streak snapped following a 57-39 loss to New York Tech last weekend. The Redhawks then suffered a 63-53 loss to Molloy to complete an 0-2 weekend.
• Senior forward Emily Miller tops the list of returning players after averaging a league-high 18.7 points per game last year. She has scored in double figures 13 times this year and leads the ECC in double-doubles with eight. She leads the team in points per game (14.1), rebounds per game (9.3) and blocks (24). A two-time All-ECC selection, she has started all 114 games over the past four seasons and has totaled 1,750 points (15.4 ppg) and 999 rebounds (8.8 rpg).
• Senior Sara Nady also returns after averaging 8.9 points with a team-high 60 three-pointers last year. She drilled six triples and scored 22 points in a recent win at St. Leo and is averaging 10.9 points and a team-high 4.8 assists.
• Sophomore forward Taryn Wilson is also averaging in double figures (10.7 ppg) and has made a team-high 41 three-pointers. She had four three-pointers and 21 points in a recent 75-65 win over Queens.

SERIES HISTORY VS. ROBERTS WESLEYAN
All-Time Series: Daemen leads 36-22
At RWC: RWC leads 14-13
Current Streak: Daemen won 3
Last Meeting: Daemen 70, RWC 47 | Dec. 7, 2019 | at Amherst, N.Y.

DAEMEN QUICK FACTS
Daemen returns three starters and seven players from last year when the Wildcats enjoyed their most successful season since transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division II. Daemen posted an 11-game winning streak, won 14 of its final 15 regular-season games and posted a 15-3 league record last year. Seeded second in the ECC Championships, the Wildcats were upset by New York Tech in the semifinals and closed out the year with an 18-10 overall record. The 18 wins were the most since the 2012-13 season. Daemen entered the 2019-20 season ranked third in the ECC preseason poll and ninth in the Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region preseason poll.

BANKER'S BACK
Jenepher Banker enters her fourth season as head women's basketball coach at Daemen. She has led the Wildcats to a 56-45 overall record and a 39-23 mark in the ECC since the start of the 2016-17 season. Last year she led Daemen to an 18-10 overall record, a 15-3 league record and a second-straight appearance in the ECC Championship Tournament. The 18 wins were the most for the Wildcats since the program transitioned to NCAA Division II in 2013-14. She also recorded her 100th victory as a collegiate head coach during the 2018-19 season. Banker arrived at Daemen with nearly 30 years of coaching experience at various levels, ranging from Division I to high school. Her first collegiate experience came as an assistant coach at Iowa State University (1986-88) and later as an assistant at Canisius College (1993-95). Between assistant coaching stops, Banker served as the head coach at Penn State-Behrend where she led the NCAA Division III program to a 67-61 overall record. Her 1991-92 team went 23-4, winning the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) South Region championship. That team garnered Penn State-Behrend's first-ever national ranking in any sport. She was inducted into Penn State-Behrend's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994. Banker ultimately settled at the high school level, coaching the varsity team at Grand Island High School from 1998-2013, building the Lady Vikings into a regional contender with seven Section VI championships, four appearances in the Far West Regional, and one appearance at the New York State final four.

BACK IN THE FOLD
Redshirt junior Tiara Filbert and sophomore Katie Titus top the list of returning players after earning all-conference honors last year. Filbert earned second-team All-ECC recognition after averaging 12.0 points per game with a team-high 76 assists. Titus took the ECC by storm over the second half of her freshman season, averaging 17.4 points and 8.9 rebounds over the final 15 games. For the season, she led the team in scoring (12.1 ppg), rebounding (7.2 rpg), three-pointers (42) and blocked shots (38), and was a first-team All-ECC honoree—as well as the ECC Rookie of the Year. Senior Jordan Heinold (6.3 ppg, 37 3pt FGs) also returns after making 24 starts last year. Junior guards Autumn Buchsenschutz (3.1 ppg, 45 asts) and Caroline White (7.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg) also return after playing major roles last season. Sophomore guard Sydney Barney and sophomore forward Mickayla Ivy round out the list of returning players.

PLENTY OF NEW FACES
The 2019-20 roster features 10 newcomers—one graduate transfer and nine freshmen. Graduate transfer Ashli Jeune (Westhampton, N.J.) and freshman Marina Maerkl (Binghampton, N.Y.) have seen consistent playing time over the first nine games. Jeune previously played at Division I Rutgers University and UNC-Wilmington. She has started all 18 games and scored a season-high 27 points in a win over Queens on Jan. 10. Maerkl led Seton Catholic to the Final Four of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class A Tournament as a junior and senior. She averaged a double-double as a senior and earned fourth-team Class A all-state honors. She has played in 17 games (11 minutes per game) and totaled six points and four rebounds in a win over Bloomfield. Freshman Tyra O'Meally-Turnbull (Niskayuna, N.Y.) has also contributed. She played at Niskayuna High School and was named the team's Outstanding Defensive Player as a junior. She has played in 13 games and totaled six points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the win over Bloomfield.

REGIONAL RECOGNITION
Daemen is ranked eighth in this week's Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region media poll. Daemen entered the season ranked ninth in the D2SIDA East Region preseason poll and have been ranked in the last 12 D2SIDA East Region polls dating back to Feb. 4 of last year.

FAST START
The Wildcats are off to the best start of their NCAA Division II era (2015-present) and their best start overall since opening the 2010-11 season by winning 15 of their first 18 games. The Wildcats have won seven-straight games and 10 of their last 11 contests. The Wildcats have featured a balanced attack thus far, with all five starters averaging at least nine points per game. Redshirt junior Tiara Filbert was named ECC Player of the Week earlier this year after averaging 27.5 points during the Cesar Odio Thanksgiving Classic. She erupted for a career-high 38 points in a loss to Nova Southeastern during the opening round of the tournament. She scored 28 points in a recent win over Bridgeport and is averaging a team-high 14.1 points. Junior forward Caroline White earned ECC Player of the Week honors after recording back-to-back double-doubles against AIC (12 pts, 14 rebs) and Saint Rose (21 pts, 10 rebs) during the Saint Rose Holiday Classic. She is averaging 13.9 points and 6.8 rebounds. Sophomore forward Katie Titus equaled her career-high with 27 points in a recent win at UDC and is averaging 13.9 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game. A two-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week selection, she also leads the team and ranks third among the ECC leaders in blocks (27). Senior Jordan Heinold was named ECC Player of the Week this past Monday after leading the Wildcats to wins over Molloy and New York tech last weekend. She totaled 23 points, seven rebounds and five steals against Molloy and is averaging 11.1 points with a team-high 47 three-pointers. Newcomer Ashli Jeune totaled a season-high seven three-pointers and a season-high 27 points in the win over Queens on Jan. 10 and is averaging 9.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and a team-high 3.2 assists. Junior Autumn Buchsenschutz is averaging 20 minutes off the bench and is contributing 3.4 points and 2.2 assists per game. Sophomore Mickayla Ivy is averaging 20 minutes per game and totaled seven points, seven rebounds and four assists in the win over Queens on Jan.10.

PICKING UP WHERE THEY LEFT OFF
Daemen was one of the hottest teams in the NCAA Division II East Region at the end of last year, as the Wildcats won 14 of their final 15 regular-season games. The Wildcats have opened the 2019-20 season by winning 15 of their first 18 games and are now 29-5 over their last 34 games dating back to last season.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Daemen has held 14 of its first 18 opponents to less than 65 points and is 14-0 in those games. The Wildcats have also forced 342 turnovers and collected 175 steals over the first 18 games. Daemen ranks second among ECC teams in both points allowed per game (54.6) and third in both steals per game (9.7), and turnovers forced per game (19.0).

LONG RANGE THREATS
Daemen ranks first among ECC teams in three-pointers made per game (8.9) and three-pointers attempted per game (26.9). The Wildcats also rank second in three-point field goal percentage (.330). All five of Daemen's starters have made at least 20 three-pointers on the year. The Wildcats made a program-record 20 three-pointers in an 89-62 win over Queens on Jan. 10—which ranks as the most by an East Region team and the fourth most among all NCAA Division II teams this season.

ROAD WARRIORS
Daemen has played 12 of its 18 games away from the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium—where the Wildcats have won 15-straight games dating back to last season. The 15-game home winning streak ranks second among NCAA Division II East Region teams behind Bentley University (16).

WILDCATS COLLECT CONFERENCE HONORS
Senior Jordan Heinold and sophomore Katie Titus were honored by the ECC for their play in key wins over Molloy College and New York Tech last weekend. Heinold was selected the Women's Basketball Player of the Week, while Titus was named the Women's Basketball Defensive Player of the Week for games played January 20-26. With the announcement, as Daemen player has now collected a weekly honor from the ECC in six of a possible 11 weeks. In addition to Heinold, junior Caroline White and redshirt junior Tiara Filbert have also been named Player of the Week. Titus, White and Heinold have all been named Defensive Player of the Week

HEINOLD RECORDS 150TH THREE-POINTER
Senior Jordan Heinold registered her 150th career three-pointer last weekend and has totaled 155 three-pointers in 85 career games. She ranks fifth among the program's all-time leaders and stands just seven three-pointers shy of moving into the top-four.

A FIRST FOR TITUS
Katie Titus was voted first team All-ECC and ECC Rookie of the Year last year after leading the team in points per game (12.1), rebounds per game (7.2), three-pointers (32) and blocks (38). She became the first women's basketball player from Daemen to garner a major award from the ECC since the Wildcats joined the conference. She also became the first freshman to earn first-team All-ECC honors since Madison Rowland of Queens College in 2013-14. Titus ranked first among ECC freshmen in points per game and second in rebounds per game. She shot 49-percent (109-for-222) from the field and averaged 17.4 points and 8.9 rebounds over the final 16 games. Her efforts earned her conference recognition in six of the final eight weeks. She was named ECC Player of the Week twice (Jan. 14, Jan. 28) and became the first player in team history to earn multiple ECC Player of the Week honors in the same season. She was also a two-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week selection (Nov. 19, Jan. 22), and a four-time ECC Rookie of the Week pick (Jan. 22, Feb. 4, Feb. 11, Feb. 18). She was only the freshman in the league to be named ECC Player of the Week and also the only ECC player to be named Player of the Week, Defensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week.

NEXT JUMP BALL
The Wildcats are idle until next weekend when they travel to the University of Bridgeport (Feb. 7) and Queens College (Feb. 9) for ECC games.