GAME #14
DAEMEN WILDCATS (10-3, 2-1 ECC) vs. QUEENS KNIGHTS (4-9, 1-2 ECC)
FRIDAY, JANUARY 10
LUMSDEN GYMNASIUM (AMHERST, N.Y.) - 6:00 PM

GAME #15
DAEMEN WILDCATS vs. BRIDGEPORT PURPLE KNIGHTS (4-9, 1-2 ECC)
SUNDAY, JANUARY 12
LUMSDEN GYMNASIUM (AMHERST, N.Y.) - 1:00 PM

FASTBREAK POINTS: 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAMES
1.  Daemen puts an 11-game home winning streak on the line this weekend when it hosts Queens College and the University of Bridgeport in East Coast Conference games. The 11-game home winning streak ranks second among NCAA Division II East Region teams behind Bentley University (14).

2.  The Wildcats have won five of their last six games and will be taking the court for the first time since posting wins over American International (53-40) and Saint Rose (78-57) during the Saint Rose Holiday Classic three weeks ago.

3.  Daemen is ranked 10th in this week's Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region media poll. The Wildcats have appeared in the last nine D2SIDA regional polls dating back to last season.

4.  Daemen is the only ECC team that features three players among the league's top-10 scorers. Caroline White ranks third (14.5 ppg), Tiara Filbert ranks fifth (14.3 ppg) and Katie Titus ranks seventh (13.3 ppg).

5.  Caroline White leads the team in both points per game (14.5) and rebounds per game (7.2) and has already scored more points this season (189) than she did all of last season (188).

6.  Tiara Filbert enters the weekend just 26 points shy of 800 for her career. She has scored 774 points in 70 career games (11.1 ppg).

7.  Katie Titus registered her 500th career point during the Saint Rose Holiday Classic and enters the weekend 12 rebounds shy of 300 for her career. She has totaled 513 points and 288 rebounds in 41 career games.

8.  Jordan Heinold ranks third among the ECC leaders in three-pointers made (31). She has drilled 14 triples over the past five games and is shooting 44-percent (14-32) from behind the arc over the last five games.

9.  Ashli Jeune ranks 10th among the ECC leaders in steals (25) and has recorded at least one steal in 10 of Daemen's 13 games.

10.  Daemen has held nine of its 13 opponents to 57 points or less and the Wildcats are 9-0 in those games.


QUEENS SCOUTING REPORT

• Queens returns just five players and two starters from last year's team that finished 6-20 overall and 5-13 in the ECC. Queens was voted seventh in the ECC preseason poll.
• Head coach Elizabeth Naumovski enters her ninth season at Queens. The program's all-time leader in victories, she enters the weekend with a career record of 125-113. She was named the ECC Coach of the Year following the 2012-13 and 2016-17 seasons.
• The Knights have won three of their last five games after opening the season 1-7. QC opened ECC play with a 60-55 win over New York Tech, before suffering league losses to Molloy (57-39) and Bridgeport (90-62). The Knights are coming off a non-league win over Nyack (78-48) on Jan. 2.
• Newcomers Zorria West and Raiana Brown have led the way thus far. West, a transfer from Monroe CC, is averaging a team-high 12.6 points and is also contributing 7.0 rebounds per game. She has registered three double-doubles on the year, including a 17 point, 10 rebound effort in the win over New York Tech. Brown, a 6-foot-1 freshman, is averaging 12.2 points and leads the team in rebounds per game (7.5) and blocks (20). She was named ECC Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week this past Monday after totaling 16 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks in the win over Nyack.
• Additional production is coming from freshmen guards Harmony Philo and Brianne Moxley. Philo had four three-pointers and 15 points in the win over Nyack and is averaging 8.6 points with a team-high 30 three-pointers. Moxley has started all 13 games and is averaging 7.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and a team-high 3.1 assists per game.
   

SERIES HISTORY VS. QUEENS
All-Time Series: Queens leads 9-3
At Daemen: Queens leads 4-2
Current Streak: Daemen won 3
Last Meeting: Daemen 64, Queens 50 | Feb. 2, 2019 | at Flushing, N.Y.


BRIDGEPORT SCOUTING REPORT

• Bridgeport returns just four players and no starters from last year's team that finished 12-17 overall and 8-10 in the ECC. UB was voted fifth in the ECC preseason poll.
• Janie Mitchell is in her second season as head coach at UB and enters the weekend with a career record of 16-27 with the Purple Knights.
• UB's 15-player roster features six freshmen and four junior college transfers.
• The Purple Knights play at Roberts Wesleyan Friday, before taking on Daemen Sunday.
• The Purple Knights lost their first five games of the year, but are 4-5 since then. UB owns a perfect 2-0 league record after posting wins over District of Columbia (68-64) and Queens (90-62). The Purple Knights are coming off a non-league loss to Franklin Pierce (72-60) on Jan. 2.
• Newcomers Samirah Henderson, Gracen Kerr and Alyzae Davis have led the way thus far. Henderson, a transfer from Monroe CC, has made a team-high 23 three-pointers and is averaging a team-high 10.4 points. She nearly recorded a triple-double (19 pts, 10 asts, 6 rebs) in the win over Queens. Kerr, a freshman guard, is playing a team-high 31 minutes a game and is averaging 9.8 points and 4.3 assists per game. A two-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection, she totaled 18 points and nine assists in an early-season loss to Concordia. Davis, a transfer from Northeastern CC, is averaging 9.6 points and scored 13 points in the win over Queens.
• Additional production is coming from senior guard Jaqualah Holliman (8.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and 6-foot-3 junior center Kyle Felton (8.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg). Holliman scored 21 points in the loss to Franklin Pierce. Felton, who played at Jones County CC and Southern Miss prior to UB, has 20 points and 11 rebounds in just 24 minutes off the bench in an early-season 76-64 win over Felician.
  

SERIES HISTORY VS. BRIDGEPORT
All-Time Series: Daemen leads 9-3
At Daemen: Daemen leads 6-0
Current Streak: Daemen won 3
Last Meeting: Daemen 68, Bridgeport 49 | March 3, 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 51-45 overall record and a 34-23 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 13 games and scored a season-high 22 points in the loss to nationally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas on Dec. 15. 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 12 games (13 minutes per game) and totaled six points and four rebounds in a win over Bloomfield. Freshmen Abby Lundquist (Rochelle, Ill.) and Tyra O'Meally-Turnbull (Niskayuna, N.Y.) have also contributed. Lundquist closed out her career at Rochelle Township High School with a school-record 1,909 career points. She has played in seven games this year and drilled her first career three-pointer in the win over Bloomfield. O'Meally-Turnbull played at Niskayuna High School and was named the team's Outstanding Defensive Player as a junior. She has played in nine games and totaled six points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the win over Bloomfield.

REGIONAL RECOGNITION
Daemen is ranked 10th 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 was once again ranked ninth in the first in-season poll released Nov. 18. The Wildcats moved up to No. 7 on Nov. 25, and have been ranked 10th in the last four polls. The Wildcats have been ranked in the last nine 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 2012-13 season by winning 11 of their first 13 games. Daemen has won five of its last six games and will be taking the court for the first time since posting wins over American International (53-40) and Saint Rose (78-57) during the Saint Rose Holiday Classic last month. The Wildcats have featured a balanced attack thus far, with all five starters averaging at least nine points per game. 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 a team-high 14.5 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds. Redshirt junior Tiara Filbert was named ECC Player of the Week after averaging 27.5 points during the Cesar Odio Thanksgiving Classic. She erupted for a career-high 38 points in the loss to Nova Southeastern during the opening round of the tournament. She is averaging 14.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and a team-high 3.2 assists per game. Sophomore forward Katie Titus scored a career-high 27 points in the win Saint Rose and is averaging 13.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. She also leads the team and ranks fourth among the ECC leaders in blocks (18). Senior Jordan Heinold and newcomer Ashli Jeune and have also produced. Heinold equaled her career-high for three-pointers in a game (7) and scored a career-high 25 points in a win over Wilmington and is averaging 10.2 points with a team-high 31 three-pointers. Jeune totaled a season-high 22 points in a loss to regionally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas and is averaging 9.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists. She also leads the team in steals (25). Junior Autumn Buchsenschutz is averaging 22 minutes off the bench and is contributing 4.3 points and 2.4 assists per game. Sophomore Mickayla Ivy has also seen consistent playing time.

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 10 of their first 13 games and are now 24-5 over their last 29 games dating back to last season.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Daemen has held nine of its first 13 opponents to 57 points or less and is 9-0 in those games. The Wildcats have also forced 248 turnovers and collected 129 steals over the first 13 games. Daemen ranks third among East Coast Conference teams in points allowed per game (56.2) and steals per game (9.9), and second in turnovers forced per game (19.1).

LONG RANGE THREATS
Daemen ranks first among ECC teams in three-pointers made per game (8.1) and three-pointers attempted per game (25.8). The Wildcats also rank fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.313). All five of Daemen's starters have made at least 10 three-pointers on the year. The Wildcats made a season-high 13 three-pointers in an 83-51 win at Wilmington on Nov. 23 and went 11-of-24 from downtown during the win over Saint Rose.

ROAD WARRIORS
Daemen played 11 of its first 13 games away from the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium—where the Wildcats have won 11-straight games dating back to last season. The 11-game home winning streak ranks second among NCAA Division II East Region teams behind Bentley University (14).

CONFERENCE HONORS FOR WHITE, FILBERT AND TITUS
Junior Caroline White, redshirt junior Tiara Filbert and sophomore Katie Titus have collected honors from the ECC in recent weeks. White was named the ECC Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 25 after leading Daemen's defensive effort during wins over regionally-ranked Edinboro and Wilmington. She keyed the Daemen defense which surrendered just 108 points (54.0 ppg) in the two games, limiting EU and WU to a combined 35 percent shooting. White also earned ECC Player of the Week honors on Dec. 23 after recording back-to-back double-doubles during wins over American International and Saint Rose during the Saint Rose Holiday Calssic. Filbert was named the ECC Player of the Week on Dec. 2 after averaging 27.5 points during the Cesar Odio Thanksgiving Classic. She scored a career-high 38 points in a 77-74 loss to Nova Southeastern and followed up with 17 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in a 78-69 win over host Barry. Over the two games she shot 63-percent (20-for-32) from the field and totaled 55 points. Titus was named ECC Defensive Player of the Week on Dec. 9 after she headed up a defensive unit that forced 25 turnovers and limited the Roberts Wesleyan to 15 points or less in each of the four quarters during a 70-47 Daemen victory over the Redhawks. Titus recorded seven rebounds (five defensive) and collected a career-high five steals in the game. She also contributed on the offensive end with 14 points.

HEINOLD RECORDS 125TH THREE-POINTER
Senior Jordan Heinold has become the 10th player in program history to reach 125 career three-pointers. She reached the milestone during a win over Barry on Nov. 30 and has now totaled 139 three-pointers in 80 career games. She now stands just 13 triples shy of moving into the top-five among Daemen's all-time leaders in career three-pointers.

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 Sunday (Jan. 19) when they travel to the University of the District of Columbia for an East Coast Conference game.