Wildcats Remain Unanimous Pick Atop D2SIDA Regional Poll

1/18/2021 12:46:00 PM

By: CONTACT: Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications | (716) 839-8385 | mmiranto@daemen.edu

AMHERST, N.Y. - Fresh off their first game action and victory in some 314 days, the Daemen College women's basketball team remains the unanimous choice at No. 1 in this week's NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region media poll which was released this afternoon.

Daemen, which is also ranked No. 20 in the D2SIDA national media poll, defeated Mercyhurst 82-64 here at Lumsden Gymnasium this past Saturday, ending the team's long hiatus between games due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and also denying the previous unbeaten Lakers (5-1) their first 6-0 start in more than 30 years. A new D2SIDA national poll is expected to be out tomorrow.

Saturday's win extended Daemen's home winning streak to 19 straight games - the longest active streak among all East Region teams and currently the eighth-longest active streak in Division II. The Wildcats have won 38 of their last 45 games overall, a span that dates back to January 2019. The team is also now 22-1 when holding opponents to 65 points or less since the start last season.

"I can't tell you how proud I am of them," said head coach Jenepher Banker, now in her fifth season at the helm, after Saturday's game. "It's tough going into your first game without a scrimmage. First of all, we have no idea. We've got new players, we have no idea how they're going to play in a college game. So, we have no idea about that. And really, it's very difficult to start a year with no scrimmages, no exhibitions anyways. And then to start it against a team that's really played seven games because they also played two exhibition games. And they're good. Mercyhurst is good. I'm so proud of our kids. They did a great job with our scout, our players did. For them to be able to do that the first time out against a very good team, I'm super proud of them."

Daemen garnered all six first-place votes in the poll for the second straight week. There were no changes in the poll voting as the Wildcats are followed by No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas, No. 3 Molloy, No. 4 Roberts Wesleyam, No. 5 Dominican (N.Y.) and No. 6 Caldwell.

Daemen returns to action this weekend with a pair of contests against ECC newcomer D'Youville (Friday, Jan. 22, away, 6 p.m.; Sunday, Jan. 24, home, 12 p.m.).

D2SIDA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL EAST REGION MEDIA POLL - JAN. 18
	W-L	PTS.
1. DAEMEN (6)	1-0	36
2. St. Thomas Aquinas	0-0	28
3. Molloy	0-0	22
4. Roberts Wesleyan	1-0	19
5. Dominican (N.Y.)	0-0	13
6. Caldwell	0-0	5

( ) denotes first-place votes

Others receiving votes: Georgian Court (1), Felician (1), Nyack (1)

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

Support Daemen College's return to intercollegiate athletic competitions by making a contribution to the Game On Campaign and the Daemen Wildcats Gotta Play Fund. This comprehensive fundraising campaign was established to help offset the loss of valuable external revenue streams that directly support Daemen's 17 varsity programs. To learn more, visit daemenwildcats.com/gameon.

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