GAME #24 - PRESENTED BY MILLENNIUM BUFFALO
DAEMEN WILDCATS (20-3, 12-1 ECC) vs. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FIREBIRDS (7-17, 3-9 ECC)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21
LUMSDEN GYMNASIUM (AMHERST, N.Y.) - 6 PM

FAST BREAK POINTS: 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAMES

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SCOUTING REPORT

• UDC returns seven players and two starters from last year's team that finished 10-18 overall and 7-11 in the ECC. Queens was voted ninth in the ECC preseason poll.
• Head coach John Nakpodia enters his third season at UDC.
• The Firebirds opened the month of February with a 66-53 win over Mercy, but enter the weekend on a three-game losing streak having dropped league games to Molloy (63-47), New York Tech (59-41) and Bridgeport (53-46).
• UDC is averaging a league-low 56.3 points per game and has failed to score 50 or more points 10 times this season.
• The Firebirds rank second among ECC teams in free throws made (277) and attempted (419).
• Junior guard Maya Thomas and freshman guard Latavia Jackson have paced the Firebirds thus far. Thomas totaled 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals in a recent win over Queens and is averaging 12.3 points per game with a league-high 58 steals. She also ranks third among the league leaders in three-pointers (58). Jackson scored a season-high 26 points in the recent win over Mercy and is averaging 11.9 points and a team-high 5.1 rebounds per game. She ranks second among the ECC leaders in free throws made (81) and fourth in free throws attempted (110).
• Additional production is coming from freshman guard Halia Ellis (5.8 ppg, 3.6 apg) and junior guard Alexus King (5.8 ppg). Ellis has started 22 games and had 10 points and five assists in the win over Mercy.

SERIES HISTORY VS. UDC
All-Time Series: UDC leads 7-6
At Daemen: Tied 3-3
Current Streak: Daemen won 6
Last Meeting: Daemen 64, UDC 35 | Jan. 19, 2019 | at Washington, D.C.

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 61-45 overall record and a 44-23 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 Caroline White (7.1 ppg, 4.1 rpg) and Autumn Buchsenschutz (3.1 ppg, 45 asts) 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 23 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 21 games (10 minutes per game) and scored a season-high seven points in the win over Mercy last weekend. 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 16 games and totaled six points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the win over Bloomfield.

REGIONAL RECOGNITION
Daemen is currently ranked fifth in both the NCAA Division II East Region poll and the 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 15 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 2003–04 season by winning 20 of their first 23 games. The Wildcats have won 12-straight games and 15 of their last 16 contests. The 12-straight wins is a new program record for most consecutive wins during the program's NCAA Division II era (2015-present). It is the longest winning streak overall since the 2007-08 season when the Wildcats posted a 17-game winning streak.

20/20
Daemen has reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 2012-13 season—and the 16th time in program history.

LETHAL LEFTY
Redshirt junior Tiara Filbert was named ECC Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday after leading Daemen to league wins over St. Thomas Aquinas and Mercy last weekend. She totaled 35 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists over the two games, while shooting 52-percent (12-23) from the field. She scored 28 points in a recent win over Bridgeport and is averaging 18 points and 5.3 assists over the past four games. Among the ECC leaders she ranks second in points per game (14.3), third in minutes per game (34.3), fifth in free throw percentage (.780), sixth in assists per game (3.7) and 10th in field goal percentage (.444).

THE WHITE STUFF
Junior forward Caroline White earned ECC Player of the Week honors for the second time this season on Feb. 10 after leading the Wildcats to wins over Bridgeport and Queens. She totaled 40 points and 14 rebounds over the two games. White is producing career-high numbers for the Wildcats this season, as she ranks second on the team in points per game (13.9), rebounds per game (6.7), field goal percentage (.457) and minutes per game (33.3). Among the ECC leaders she ranks fifth in points per game, fourth in offensive rebounds per game (2.9), eighth in field goal percentage and eighth in total rebounds per game.

SUPER SOPHOMORE
Sophomore forward Katie Titus equaled her career-high with 27 points during a 64-35 win at District of Columbia last month and is averaging 13.0 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game. She also ranks second in three-pointers made (34). A two-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week selection, she also leads the team and ranks third among the ECC leaders in blocks (37). 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 on Jan. 27 after leading the Wildcats to wins over Molloy and New York Tech. She has shot 48-percent (33-69) from three-point land during Daemen's 12-game winning streak and is averaging 11.8 points overall with a team-high 59 three-pointers. She has totaled 167 three-pointers in 90 career games and ranks fourth among the program's all-time leaders. She stands six three-pointers shy of moving into the top three. She is also just one triple shy of becoming the seventh player in program history to make 60 or more three-pointers in a season—and the first since Raeann Stilwell in 2014-15.

SUDDEN IMPACT
Newcomer Ashli Jeune was named ECC Player of the Week on Feb. 3 after totaling six three-pointers and 25 points in a win at Roberts Wesleyan. She has started all 23 games and is averaging 10.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists. She also leads the team and ranks eighth among the ECC leaders in steals (41).

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 16 games. The Wildcats have won 20 of 23 games this year and are now 34-5 over their last 39 games dating back to last season.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Daemen has held 19 of its 23 opponents to 65 points or less and is 19-0 in those games. Daemen has not allowed an opponent to score over 65 points during its current 12-game winning streak. The Wildcats have also forced 440 turnovers and collected 218 steals. Daemen ranks third among ECC teams in both points allowed per game (55.0) and turnovers forced per game (19.1) and fourth in steals per game (9.5).

LONG RANGE THREATS
Daemen ranks first among ECC teams in three-pointers made per game (8.8) and three-pointers attempted per game (26.6). The Wildcats also rank second in three-point field goal percentage (.330). All five of Daemen's starters have made at least 25 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 23 games away from the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium—where the Wildcats have won 17-straight games dating back to last season. The 17-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 (twice), Jordan Heinold and Ashli Jeune have been named Player of the Week, while White, Heinold and Katie Titus (twice) have been selected Defensive Player of the Week. A Daemen player has collected ECC Player of the Week in each of the last four weeks, and a Daemen player has received a weekly honor in nine of a possible 14 weeks.

DID YOU KNOW?
Daemen has posted a scoring margin of +16.2 during their current 17-game home winning streak. Ten of the 17 wins have been by 15 or more points and only three have been decided by five points or less. The Wildcats are surrendering an average of just 51.5 points during the streak and have allowed just two opponents to score 60 or more points (Queens 62, Mercy 60). On the other end of the court, Daemen has scored 65 or more points nine times over the last 17 home games (and over 75 five times).

NEXT JUMP BALL
The Wildcats close out the regular season next weekend when they travel to Long Island, N.Y. to face Molloy College (Feb. 28) and New York Tech (Mar. 1) in ECC games.