AMHERST, N.Y. – Strength in numbers.
 
With 11 different players scoring and a game-changing 31-6 run over a 12-and-a-half minute span in the final seconds of the first quarter through the first 1:51 of the third quarter, the Daemen Wildcats swept the home-and-home series against league newcomer D'Youville, 90-37, in a Sunday matinee at Lumsden Gymnasium. Senior forward Caroline White (Fairport, N.Y.) scored a season-high 20 points, breaking her previous high of 18 that came against this same Saints team two nights prior. This was only the second time these two opponents have faced each other since February of 2003. With the victory, Daemen is now off to their ninth 3-0 start in program history, the first in program history since the 2012-13 season and the first of the team's NCAA era.  
 

IMPACT PLAYERS

• White connected on 8-of-11 shots from the field and made a team-high 4-of-5 three-point attempts. The reigning All-ECC first team selection also recorded 5 rebounds in the victory.  
• Junior forward Katie Titus (Penfield, N.Y.) added 17 points along with 9 rebounds and a season-high 3 blocks.
• Junior forward Mickayla Ivy added 4 points along with game-highs and season-bests in rebounds (12) and assists (6).
• Sarah Pfeiffer and Danielle Hore each totaled 8 points, with two three-pointers apiece to lead D'Youville scorers.
• Sophomore Haley Kirisits contributed 7 points while Emily Wahl added 6 points off the bench, including two three-pointers.

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SUMMARY
First Quarter (Daemen 26, D'Youville 14) – After Kirsits gave the Saints an early 4-3 lead with just over two minutes into the contest, Daemen went on their first of many runs on the afternoon, with Titus' three-pointer leading into White's back-to-back three-pointers to expand their lead to 11 with 2:13 remaining (19-8). After Jadyn Jones converted a three-pointer with 39 seconds left to cut the deficit to 9 points (23-14), Daemen freshmen Kaytlyn Matz (Johnsburg, Ill.) responded with a trey of her own off a pass from senior Autumn Buchsenschutz (Port Allegany, Pa.) to bring the lead back to double-digits (26-14.)

Second Quarter (Daemen 22, D'Youvile 6) – With contributions from veterans Titus (5 points), Buchsenschutz and Tiara Filbert, the Wildcats started the quarter on an 11-2 run over a nearly three minute span before Hore's jumper stopped the momentum with 7:02 left. (37-21 Daemen). Daemen kept their foot on the gas moments after, however, as 6 more points from White and baskets from Titus and Natalie Angeletti (Panama, N.Y.) helped the Wildcats end the half on an 11-4 run.

Third Quarter (Daemen 23, D'Youville 10) – The Wildcats continued their monstrous run into the early minutes of the frame with scoring in the paint coming from Titus, Ivy and White before Sarah Wittek hit a jumper with 7:34 left (56-22 Daemen). Daemen closed out the quarter on a 15-8 run as more scoring came from Titus, Ivy, Angeletti and White, who converted her fourth and final three-pointer of the afternoon. The Wildcats had a 41-point lead, 71-30, heading into the fourth quarter.

Fourth Quarter (Daemen 19, D'Youville 7) – The Wildcats had a 9-0 run, highlighted by three-pointers on back-to-back possessions from Matz and Angeletti, through the first 4:29 of the frame. A Kirisits free-throw with 5:31 left, followed by three-point conversions from Hore and Wahl shortly after got the Saints on the scoreboard. The Wildcats finished with more contributions in the final minutes of action before junior Mary Foster (Elmira, N.Y.) scored her second and final lay-up (5 points total) with 0:13 remaining, putting them at the 90-point plateau.
 
 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
 

• Daemen shot 44.3% from the floor (35-of-79) while holding D'Youville to 21.0% (13-of-62). The Wildcats were red-hot from the three-point range too, shooting 11-for-26 and D'Youville finishing 7-for-26.
• Daemen attacked on both ends of the floor once again as their 24 offensive rebounds turned into 25 second-chance scoring opportunities plus 20 points via turnovers. The Wildcats did more damage inside the paint against the Saints, this time scoring 40 points.
• 11 different players scored in Daemen's victory, with 41 points coming off the bench. Matz drilled three three-pointers as part of a career-best 11 points while classmate Angeletti contributed 9 points and 10 boards. Redshirt freshmen Molly Williams (Waterville, N.Y.) added 7 points while Buchsenschutz had 6 points and 4 assists to help set the tone in the first half.

GAME NOTES

• Daemen is ranked No. 17 in the latest Division II Sports Information (D2SIDA) national media poll and sit atop the D2SIDA East Region poll for a second consecutive week. Daemen is included in the national rankings for the first time in the program's NCAA era.
• The Wildcats have now won 17 of their 19 games dating back to last season, and 40 of their last 47 games dating back to the 2018-19 season.
• Daemen returns seven players, including incumbent starters Filbert, White and Titus, from their 2019-20 team that went 23-5 overall and earned the program's first NCAA tournament berth.
• Daemen has now held 26 of its last 31 opponents to 65 points or fewer, posting a 25-1 record in those contests.
• This is Daemen's ninth 3-0 start in program history and the first of the team's NCAA era. The last time Daemen had a 3-0 start was in 2012-13 when they finished 26-7 overall.
• With the victory over D'Youville, Daemen extended their home-court winning streak to 20 straight games dating back to the 2018-19 season. It ranks as the longest active home winning streak among all East Region teams, as well as one of the top 10 active streaks among all Division II teams. Daemen went 9-0 at home during the 2019-20 season – the program's first unbeaten home campaign since going 13-0 in 2007-08.
• Today's victory against D'Youville was the first time Daemen scored 90 or more points in a game since a 90-48 win over Mercy on March 1, 2019. Daemen also established single game records for rebounds (65), assists (25) and victory margin (53) against East Coast Conference opponents and in the NCAA era (2015 – present.)
• Daemen has now made at least 10 three-pointers in nine of their last 19 games and tied their season-high when they canned 11 in last Saturday's season opener vs. Mercyhurst. Through the first three games this season, the Wildcats are averaging 9.6 three-pointers per game after they led the ECC last season (8.5).   
• This weekend's home-and-home series with Daemen were D'Youville's first games as a member of the East Coast Conference. The Saints are beginning a three-year transition from NCAA Division III to Division II and were accepted into the ECC this past summer.
• Prior to this weekend's series, Daemen and D'Youville last met on February 6, 2003 - a 77-38 Daemen victory. With the wins Friday night and this afternoon, Daemen is now 16-0 against D'Youville during the program's modern era (1986-present), including a perfect 7-0 at College Center Gymnasium. 

NEXT JUMP BALL
 
Daemen returns to action next weekend with a non-conference home-and-home series with Gannon. The Wildcats visit the Golden Knights on Friday, Jan. 29 before hosting them for a matinee affair Sunday, Jan. 31.
  Daemen College features the only 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.