GAME #22
DAEMEN WILDCATS (18-3, 10-1 ECC) vs. (RV) ST. THOMAS AQUINAS SPARTANS (18-3, 10-0 ECC)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14
LUMSDEN GYMNASIUM (AMHERST, N.Y.) - 6:05 PM

GAME #23
DAEMEN WILDCATS vs. MERCY MAVERICKS (7-15, 1-10 ECC)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16
LUMSDEN GYMNASIUM (AMHERST, N.Y.) - 1 PM

FAST BREAK POINTS: 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAMES

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS SCOUTING REPORT

• St. Thomas Aquinas returns 12 players and three starters from last year's team that finished 26-5 overall and claimed the ECC regular-season title after posting a 17-1 league mark.
• The Spartans were upset by LIU Post in the ECC Tournament semifinals, but earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
• Under the guidance of veteran head coach Kim Lusk, STAC has posted a 71-13 overall record and has won 43 of 46 conference games since the start of the 2017-18 season. The Spartans claimed their first-ever ECC Tournament title and made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament two years ago.
• STAC is ranked fourth in the D2SIDA East Region poll and is receiving votes in this week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II poll.
• The Spartans bring an eight-game winning into Friday's game and have not played since posting a 59-53 win at Molloy on Feb. 5.
• STAC features a balanced attack that is averaging a league-high 73.6 points per game.
• Veterans Ruth Adams, Melissa Sadler and Zaria Thomas have led the way. Adams, a second-team All-ECC pick last year, leads the team in points per game (13.8), blocks (19) and steals (49) and ranks second in rebounds per game (5.6). Sadler is a two-time ECC Player of the Week selection and is averaging 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. Thomas ranks second among the ECC leaders in three-pointers made (54) and is averaging 12.5 points with 43 steals.
• Junior forward Emily Preston (8.7 ppg, 4.0 apg) also returns after earning first-team All-ECC last year. Redshirt freshman guard Sarah Scerbak has started 18 games and is averaging 7.8 points with 24 three-pointers.

SERIES HISTORY VS. STAC
All-Time Series: STAC leads 11-3
At Daemen: STAC leads 4-2
Current Streak: STAC won 2
Last Meeting: STAC 67, Daemen 62 | Dec. 15, 2019 | at Sparkill, N.Y.

MERCY SCOUTING REPORT

• Mercy returns eight players and four starters from last year's team that finished 4-24 overall and 1-17 in the ECC.
• Scott Lagas is in his second season as head coach.
• The Mavericks lost their first three games this year, before embarking on a six-game winning streak—the team's longest winning streak since 1985. Daemen brought the streak to an end (68-48)—which turned out to be the first of nine-straight losses for the Mavericks. They snapped the kid following a 71-68 win at Bridgeport on Jan. 25, but enter the weekend on a three-game losing streak.
• Mercy plays at Roberts Wesleyan Friday night before taking on the Wildcats Sunday afternoon.
• Junior forward Amber Brown returns after averaging 17.4 points and 6.5 rebounds last year. A second-team All-ECC pick last year, she is averaging a team-high 12.6 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds this season. She scored a season-high 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 96-89 (2OT) win over Caldwell.
• Freshman guard Katie Wall is a three-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection. She ranks second on the team in points per game (11.6) and leads the team in three-pointers (41) and assists per game (3.2).
• Additional production has come from senior forward Abigail Collier (9.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and sophomore guard Taysha Bender (7.3 ppg). Bender scored 19 points in the recent win over Bridgeport.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MERCY
All-Time Series: Daemen leads 11-2
At Daemen: Daemen leads 5-1
Current Streak: Daemen won 8
Last Meeting: Daemen 68, Mercy 48 | Dec. 13, 2019 | at Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. 

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Friday's game against St. Thomas Aquinas has been selected to be broadcast as part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Basketball Showcase. In an agreement between the two institutions, the NCAA and its media partner, Niles Media Group, the game will be broadcast live on the NCAA Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as on the ECC Network.

DAEMEN QUICK FACTS
Daemen returns three starters and seven players from last year. 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 59-45 overall record and a 42-23 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 nine newcomers—one graduate transfer and eight freshmen. Graduate transfer Ashli Jeune (Westhampton, N.J.) and freshman Marina Maerkl (Binghampton, N.Y.) have seen consistent playing time. Jeune previously played at Division I Rutgers University and UNC-Wilmington. She has started all 21 games and scored a season-high 27 points in a win over Queens on Jan. 10. She earned ECC Player of the Week honors after scoring 25 points in a win at Roberts Wesleyan on Feb. 1. 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 20 games (10 minutes per game) and totaled six points and four rebounds in a win over Bloomfield on Nov. 15. 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 15 games and totaled six points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the win over Bloomfield.

REGIONAL RECOGNITION
Daemen is ranked seventh 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 has been ranked in the last 14 D2SIDA East Region polls dating back to Feb. 4 of last year.

HISTORIC 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 18 of their first 21 games. The Wildcats have won 10-straight games and 13 of their last 14 contests. The Wildcats have featured a balanced attack thus far, with all five starters averaging in double figures.

THE WHITE STUFF
Junior forward Caroline White earned ECC Player of the Week honors for the second time this season this past Monday after leading the Wildcats to wins over Bridgeport and Queens last weekend. She totaled 40 points and 14 rebounds over the two games. White is producing career-high numbers for the Wildcats this season, as she leads the team in scoring (14.4 ppg) and ranks second in rebounding (6.6 rpg), field goal percentage (.462) and minutes per game (33.5). Among the ECC leaders she ranks second in points per game, third in offensive rebounds per game (3.0), eighth in field goal percentage and ninth in total rebounds per game.

LETHAL LEFTY
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 hosted by Barry University. 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 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and a team-high 3.5 assists.

SUPER SOPHOMORE
Sophomore forward Katie Titus equaled her career-high with 27 points in a recent win at District of Columbia and is averaging 13.1 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game. She also ranks second in three-pointers made (32). A two-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week selection, she also leads the team and ranks third among the ECC leaders in blocks (31). She 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.

SENIOR SHARP SHOOTER
Senior Jordan Heinold was named ECC Player of the Week three weeks ago after leading the Wildcats to wins over Molloy and New York Tech. She has shot 48-percent (28-58) from three-point land during Daemen's 10-game winning streak and is averaging 11.5 points overall with a team-high 54 three-pointers. She recently registered her 150th career three-pointer and has totaled 162 three-pointers in 88 career games. She ranks fourth among the program's all-time leaders and stands 11 three-pointers shy of moving into the top three.

SUDDEN IMPACT
Newcomer Ashli Jeune was named ECC Player of the Week two weeks ago after totaling six three-pointers and 25 points in a win at Roberts Wesleyan. She has started all 21 games and is averaging 10.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists. She also leads the team and ranks 10th among the ECC leaders in steals (38).

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 18 of their first 21 games and are now 32-5 over their last 37 games dating back to last season.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Daemen has held 17 of its 21 opponents to 65 points or less and is 17-0 in those games. The Wildcats have also forced 404 turnovers and collected 204 steals. Daemen ranks third among ECC teams in points allowed per game (54.6), steals per game (9.7) and turnovers forced per game (19.2).

LONG RANGE THREATS
Daemen ranks first among ECC teams in three-pointers made per game (8.9) and three-pointers attempted per game (27.0). 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.

HOME SWEET HOME
Daemen has played 15 of its 21 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 as the longest home winning streak among all NCAA Division II East Region teams.

TALENTED STARTING FIVE
All five of Daemen's starters have been honored by the ECC at some point this season. Four have been honored as the ECC Player of the Week and three have been named the league's Defensive Player of the Week. Caroline White (twice), Tiara Filbert, Jordan Heinold and Ashli Jeune have been named Player of the Week, while White, Heinold and Katie Titus have been selected Defensive Player of the Week. Titus has been named the league's top defender twice this season. A Daemen player has collected a weekly honor from the ECC in eight of a possible 13 weeks.

NEXT JUMP BALL
The Wildcats play their final regular-season home game of the year on Feb. 21 when they host the University of the District of Columbia in an ECC game.