AMHERST, N.Y. - The defending East Coast Conference women's basketball champions will begin their title defense next month as Daemen head coach Jenepher Banker released an abbreviated 2020-21 schedule today. The men's and women's basketball teams will be Daemen's first to return to competition following a hiatus that's lasted more than 300 days during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The Wildcats are scheduled to participate in 13 regular season contests in all - 10 East Coast Conference games and three of the non-conference variety. The schedule includes seven games at the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium, where the Wildcats have won 18 straight games - the longest active streak among all NCAA Division II East Region squads.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

1. HEALTH & SAFETY: The schedule was developed with the health and safety of the team's tier one personnel in mind. The NCAA defines tier one personnel as all student-athletes, coaches, managers, athletic trainers and other support staff. All tier one personnel will undergo regular surveillance testing - up to three times per week - in accordance with NCAA guidelines.  
   
   In accordance with ECC and Daemen directives, opponents are somewhat limited. Within the seven-week schedule, the Wildcats will play two different opponents in a single week only once, thereby limiting the potential COVID exposure for all tier one personnel. Team travel is also restricted with just one overnight trip planned.
   

2. HOW TO WATCH: Although spectators will not be permitted to attend contests, it's anticipated that all games will be available on various live streaming platforms. All games, home and away, against East Coast Conference opponents - both conference and non-conference matchups - will be broadcast on the ECC Network. More detailed information, including direct broadcast links, will be available in the coming weeks. 
   

3. POSTSEASON: The East Coast Conference Championship will be held March 4-8 with all games taking place at campus sites. With the possibility of postponements due to COVID-19 causing imbalanced schedules, the conference will use a weighted formula that takes into account winning percentage and total games played to determine seeding for the ECC Championship. The tournament winner will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament which has already been reduced from a 64-team field to 48 for 2021.

KEY DATES
JANUARY 16: The regular season gets underway when Daemen hosts Mercyhurst, ending a span of 314 days between games for the Wildcats. It'll mark the third meeting in the last four seasons between the Wildcats and Lakers. Daemen drew the last blood with a 74-67 triumph at Lumsden Gymnasium in 2018. The Lakers, who are playing an independent schedule following the cancellation of their Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference schedule, competed in five total contests thus far, including exhibition bouts with Division I opponents Buffalo and Niagara. They'll head into January with a 3-0 overall record.

JANUARY 22: The Wildcats' conference opener comes as they make the short trek to the west side of Buffalo to face ECC newcomer D'Youville. Since 1986, Daemen has won all 14 meetings with D'Youville. The series will be renewed after a nearly 18-year hiatus (last meeting: February 6, 2003). D'Youville, newly rebranded to the Saints, is competing in the first of a three-year transition from NCAA Division III to Division II, and they'll face the Wildcats twice more this season (also January 24 at Daemen; February 10 at D'Youville).

JANUARY 29: Daemen makes a 90-mile trek to Erie, Pa. and the historic Hammermill Center to face defending PSAC champion Gannon. It's the first in a weekend home-and-home as the Wildcats host Gannon on January 31. The teams last met in 2018 with Daemen scoring a 58-52 win - their first in Erie since 1997. 

FEBRUARY 5: The Thruway Rivalry is renewed as Daemen hosts the first of three total matchups with Roberts Wesleyan. The Wildcats have taken the last four meetings with the rival Redhawks - their first consecutive sweep of regular season meetings since doing so three straight times from the 2006-07 through 2008-09 campaigns. The Redhawks went 15-13 last winter and have qualified for the ECC tournament in six successive seasons. Daemen hosts the Redhawks again on February 7 before visiting RWC's Voller Athletic Center 10 days later (February 17). 

FEBRUARY 20-21: The Wildcats make their only overnight trip of the regular season with back-to-back contests scheduled against Mercy. Daemen is 12-2 all-time and has won nine straight meetings with the Mavericks. 

FEBRUARY 27-28: The ECC's 2019-20 regular season co-champions Daemen and St. Thomas Aquinas meet at Lumsden Gymnasium to conclude the COVID-shortened campaign. The Wildcats and Spartans have been among the ECC's best teams over the past two seasons, and have split their four meetings in that time. Daemen has taken the last two at home, including a thrilling 60-57 triumph last Valentine's Day. 

THE TEAM
Daemen is set to return eight players, including three All-ECC honorees, after posting the best season of the program's NCAA Division II era. The Wildcats went 23-5 overall and 13-3 in conference play, winning their first ECC tournament crown before having their NCAA tournament debut cancelled due to COVID-19. 

Redshirt senior guard Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.) and senior forward Caroline White (Fairport, N.Y.) bring a combined 166 games of experience back to the Daemen lineup. Both were first team All-ECC picks a season ago. Filbert led the team in scoring (14.4 ppg) and assists (3.7 apg) while becoming the first Daemen player since Chelsea Andorka in 2013-13 to surpass 400 points and 100 assists in a season. White established new career-highs in scoring (12.9 ppg), rebounding (7.0 rpg), assists (1.7 apg), steals (1.2 spg) and minutes (33.7 mpg) and was a two-time ECC Player of the Week. 

The third starter returning is junior forward Katie Titus (Penfield, N.Y.), a two-time All-ECC honoree (including second team honors last season) who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the ECC tournament in March. Titus produced 13.1 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game in 2020-21, and has totaled 15 double-doubles in her career to date. 

Senior guard Autumn Buchsenschutz (Port Allegany, N.Y.), junior forward Mickalya Ivy (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and sophomore forward Marina Maerkl (Binghamton, N.Y.) also return after playing key roles off the bench last season.

The team's newcomers include Upstate New York natives Alahna Paige (Irondequoit, N.Y.) and Natalie Angeletti (Panama, N.Y.). Paige, a 5'4" guard, was the All-Greater Rochester Co-Player of the Year and a First Team All-State honoree last winter for Irondequoit High School. Angeletti was the New York State Player of the Year from Class D after leading Panama High School to a 20-2 record. They're joined in the freshman class by Kaytlyn Matz (Johnsburg, Ill.), a team MVP and First Team All-Area selection for Carmel Catholic High School. At 6'3", junior center Mary Foster (Elmira, N.Y.) brings great height to the Daemen frontcourt after starting her career at the Division I level for New Hampshire.

Daemen heads into January ranked fourth in the Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) Preseason East Region Media Poll. 

SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Daemen's game schedule is of course subject to change due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A positive test during surveillance testing for Daemen or an opponent is likely to result in game postponements and/or cancellations. Stay tuned to daemenwildcats.com for the most up to date information regarding the team's upcoming schedule.