GAME #20
DAEMEN WILDCATS (16-3, 8-1 ECC) vs. BRIDGEPORT PURPLE KNIGHTS (4-17, 2-7 ECC)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7
HARVEY HUBBELL GYMNASIUM (BRIDGEPORT, CONN.) - 5 PM

GAME #21
DAEMEN WILDCATS vs. QUEENS KNIGHTS (6-13, 3-6 ECC)
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9
FITZGERALD GYMNASIUM (FLUSHING, N.Y.) - 3:30 PM

FAST BREAK POINTS: 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAMES
1. The Wildcats enter the weekend riding an eight-game winning streak and in second place in the ECC standings. The eight-straight wins is tied for for the second longest current winning streak among NCAA Division II East Region teams with St. Thomas Aquinas. USciences tops the list with 13-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 13 D2SIDA regional polls dating back to last season.

3.  Daemen leads the ECC in scoring margin (+15.8) and ranks second in both scoring offense (70.1 ppg) and scoring defense (54.3 papg).

4. Daemen is the only team that features three players among the league's top-10 scorers. Caroline White ranks fourth (13.7 ppg), Tiara Filbert ranks fifth (13.5 ppg) and Katie Titus ranks eighth (13.1 ppg).

5.  Tiara Filbert leads the Wildcats in minutes per game (33.8), assists per game (3.2) and total steals (33), and ranks second in points per game (13.5 ppg). She stands five points shy of 850 for her career and is closing in on 200 career assists and 100 career steals. She enters the weekend with 845 points, 189 assists and 93 steals in 76 career games.

6.  Caroline White has scored in double figures in five of her last six games and is averaging a team-high 13.7 points. She has already scored more points this season (233) than she did all of last season (188).

7.  Katie Titus has posted a double-double in four of the last six games. She is averaging 13.1 points and leads the team in rebounds per game (7.7 rpg) and blocks (29).

8.  Jordan Heinold ranks third among the ECC leaders in three-pointers made (50). She has made at least one three-pointer in 11-straight games and is shooting 46-percent (33-72) from three-point land over that span.

9.  Ashli Jeune ranks fourth among the ECC leaders in both free throws made (63) and attempted (92).

10.  Daemen has held 15 of its 19 opponents to less than 65 points and the Wildcats are 15-0 in those games.

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 16-34 with the Purple Knights.
• UB's 15-player roster features six freshmen and four junior college transfers.
• The Purple Knights went winless during the month of January (0-7) and opened February with 75-60 loss at Queens last weekend.
• 6-foot-3 Junior center Kyle Felton has averaged 20.7 points and 9.0 rebounds over the last three games and is averaging a team-high 9.8 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds. She totaled 24 points and nine boards in the loss to Queens last weekend.
• Newcomers Samirah Henderson, Gracen Kerr and Alyzae Davis have also produced. Henderson, a transfer from Monroe CC, has made a team-high 32 three-pointers and is averaging 9.4 points. She nearly recorded a triple-double (19 pts, 10 asts, 6 rebs) in a win over Queens earlier this year. Kerr, a freshman guard, is playing a team-high 31 minutes a game and is averaging 9.5 points and 3.9 assists per game. A two-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection, she totaled 14 points and four steals in a 71-68 loss to Mercy on January 25. Davis, a transfer from Northeastern CC, is averaging 9.6 points and scored 15 points in a recent 69-64 loss to New York Tech.
• Additional production is coming from junior guard Janiece Loney (7.2 ppg, 28 3pt FGs) and senior guard Jaqualah Holliman (8.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg). Money had four three-pointers and 18 points in the 71-68 loss to Mercy.

SERIES HISTORY VS. BRIDGEPORT
All-Time Series: Daemen leads 10-3
At Bridgeport: Tied 3-3
Current Streak: Daemen won 4
Last Meeting: Daemen 61, Bridgeport 59 | Jan. 12, 2020 | at Amherst, N.Y.

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 127-117. She was named the ECC Coach of the Year following the 2012-13 and 2016-17 seasons.
• The Knights have gone 5-6 over their last 11 games after opening the season 1-7. QC is coming off a 75-60 win over Bridgeport last weekend.
• The Knights host Roberts Wesleyan Friday, before taking on Daemen Sunday.
• Newcomers Raiana Brown and Zorria West and have led the way thus far. Brown, a 6-foot-1 freshman, leads the team in points per game (12.9), rebounds per game (8.4) and blocks (33). She was named ECC Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season this past Monday after totaling 23 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in the win over Bridgeport last weekend. West, a transfer from Monroe CC, is averaging 12.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
• Additional production is coming from freshmen guards Tayanee Peay, Harmony Philo and Brianne Moxley. Peay has scored in double figures in six of the last seven games and is averaging 8.2 points. Philo had four three-pointers and 14 points in the win over UB last weekend and is averaging 8.1 points with a team-high 43 three-pointers. Moxley has started 18 games and is averaging 7.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and a team-high 3.1 assists per game.

SERIES HISTORY VS. QUEENS
All-Time Series: Queens leads 9-4
At Queens: Queens leads 5-1
Current Streak: Daemen won 4
Last Meeting: Daemen 89, Queens 62 | Jan. 10, 2020 | at Amherst, N.Y. 

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 57-45 overall record and a 40-23 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 19 games and scored a season-high 27 points in a win over Queens on Jan. 10. She earned ECC Player of the Week honors this past Monday after scoring 25 points in a win at Roberts Wesleyan last weekend. 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 18 games (10 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 14 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 has been ranked in the last 13 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 16 of their first 19 games. The Wildcats have won eight-straight games and 11 of their last 12 contests. The Wildcats have featured a balanced attack thus far, with all five starters averaging in double figures. 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 13.5 points and a team-high 3.3 assists. 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 13.7 points and 6.6 rebounds. Sophomore forward Katie Titus equaled her career-high with 27 points in a recent win at UDC and is averaging 13.1 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 (29). Senior Jordan Heinold was named ECC Player of the Week two weeks ago after leading the Wildcats to wins over Molloy and New York Tech. She totaled 23 points, seven rebounds and five steals against Molloy and is averaging 11.5 points with a team-high 50 three-pointers. Newcomer Ashli Jeune was named ECC Player of the Week this past Monday after totaling six three-pointers and 25 points in the win at Roberts Wesleyan. She is averaging 10.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Junior Autumn Buchsenschutz is averaging nearly 20 minutes off the bench and is contributing 3.2 points and 2.1 assists per game. Sophomore Mickayla Ivy is averaging 20 minutes per game and scored a career-high 10 points in the win over Roberts Wesleyan last weekend.

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 16 of their first 19 games and are now 30-5 over their last 35 games dating back to last season.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Daemen has held 15 of its first 19 opponents to less than 65 points and is 15-0 in those games. The Wildcats have also forced 363 turnovers and collected 186 steals over the first 19 games. Daemen ranks second among ECC teams in both points allowed per game (54.3) and steals per game (9.8) and third in turnovers forced per game (19.1).

LONG RANGE THREATS
Daemen ranks first among ECC teams in three-pointers made per game (9.0) and three-pointers attempted per game (26.9). The Wildcats also rank second in three-point field goal percentage (.334). 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 13 of its 19 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. Tiara Filbert, Caroline White, 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 seven of a possible 12 weeks.

HEINOLD RECORDS 150TH THREE-POINTER
Senior Jordan Heinold recently registered her 150th career three-pointer and has totaled 158 three-pointers in 86 career games. She ranks fifth among the program's all-time leaders and stands just four 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 begin a stretch of three straight home games next Friday (Feb. 14) they host regionally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas College in a key ECC game. The game will be featured nationwide as part of the National Collegiate Athletic Conference (NCAA) Division II Basketball Showcase.