ERIE, Pa. - The Daemen College women's basketball team remained unbeaten on the year following a gritty 70-68 win over Gannon University here tonight in a battle of nationally-ranked programs.

Daemen improved to 4-0 on the year, while the host Golden Knights dropped to 4-1. Daemen entered the game at No. 13 in the D2SIDA national poll—the highest national ranking of the program's NCAA era. Gannon is ranked No. 21 in the same poll. It marked Daemen's first win of its NCAA era (2015—present) against a nationally ranked opponent. Prior to tonight, the Wildcats were 0-6 against teams ranked in either the D2SIDA or WBCA top 25 poll.

IMPACT PLAYERS

• Redshirt senior Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.) played 37 minutes and totaled 17 points, three rebounds and three assists.
• Junior Katie Titus (Penfield, N.Y.) racked up her first double-double of the season (the 16th of her career) and finished one rebound shy of her career high. She totaled 16 points, 15 rebounds (all on the defensive end) and three blocks. She was good on 4-of-8 three-point shots in the game. Titus, who was named the East Coast Conference Player and Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, now stands 27 rebounds shy of 500 for her career.
• Freshman Natalie Angeletti (Panama, N.Y.) turned in another solid effort off the bench for the Wildcats. The reigning ECC Rookie of the Week, she connected on 4-of-5 shots and finished with a season-high 10 points.
• Fellow rookie Alahna Paige (Rochester, N.Y.) played a season-high 34 minutes, scored a season-high nine points and also dished out a season-high seven assists.
• Senior Caroline White (Fairport, N.Y.) added eight points.
• Four players scored in double figures for the host Golden Knights, Redshirt sophomore Sam Pirosko made 6-of-10 shots and totaled 16 points, while junior Emily Poling drilled three three-pointers and finished with 15 points. Junior Tori Obenrader added 14 points, while senior Sydney Mitchell contributed 10 points and 10 assists.

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SUMMARY
First Quarter (Daemen 24, Gannon 16) - Daemen jumped out to an early 12-4 lead and later took a 20-8 lead following a three-pointer by Titus with just over four minutes to play in the quarter. The Daemen lead was still 12 points (22-10) with three minutes to play in the frame, but the Wildcats managed just two points the rest of the quarter and the visitors took a 24-16 lead into the second quarter.

Second Quarter (Daemen 14, Gannon 12) - Daemen continued to struggle on the offensive end at the start of the second quarter, as the Wildcats went scoreless over the first five minutes of the frame. Gannon chipped away at the Daemen lead and eventually cut it to a point, 24-23, following a three-pointer by redshirt senior Emma Wright with seven minutes left before halftime. The game was knotted at 27-27 with just under three minutes left in the quarter, when a jumper by sophomore Marina Maerkl (Binghamton, N.Y.) sparked the Wildcats on a quarter-ending 11-1 run. Angeletti nailed a three-pointer with 1:20 to play, and her jumper with 34 seconds left before halftime closed out the first-half scoring and gave the Wildcats a 38-28 lead.

Third Quarter (Gannon 22, Daemen 18) - Gannon opened the third quarter with back-to-back three-pointers, but the Wildcats scored the next four points and later took a 45-38 lead following a triple by Titus midway through the quarter. The Daemen lead was eight points, 48-40, when the Golden Knights put together a 7-0 run and cut the lead to a point, 48-47, after Pirosko made one of two free throws with 2:08 left in the frame. The Wildcats later upped the lead to six points after Filbert drilled a three-pointer from the top of the key, but Gannon cut the lead in half when Poling answered with a triple with eight seconds left. A buzzer-beating three-pointer from just over half court by Paige closed out the third-quarter scoring and gave the Wildcats a 56-50 lead.

Fourth Quarter (Gannon 18, Daemen 14) - Daemen used a 7-2 spurt at the start of the fourth quarter to regain a double-digit lead, 63-52. A layup by Filbert with 6:28 left to play capped the run. The hosts responded with six unanswered points of their own and cut the lead to four points following a put back by Delaney Dogan with 4:45 left. Filbert then fed Titus for a corner three-pointer on Daemen's next possession, only to have the Golden Knights cut the lead to three points, 66-63, with just over three minutes left following a 5-0 run. Filbert made one of two at the line with 2:50 left to make if 67-63 Daemen, and neither team scored again until Pirosko canned two free throws with 32 seconds to play. Daemen turned the ball over on their next possession, but Gannon was unable to take advantage. Senior Autumn Buchsenschutz (Port Allegany, Pa.) gave the Wildcats a 69-65 lead after she made two free throws with 10 seconds left, but Gannon answered one last time with a three-pointer by Poling. Junior Mickayla Ivy (Grand Rapids, Mich.) then split a pair of free throws for Daemen, and Gannon turned the ball over at the other end to secure the win for the Wildcats.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Daemen shot 10-of-15 (67%) from the field in the first quarter and finished 26-of-58 (45%) from the field overall. The Wildcats made 11-of-21 from downtown and canned 7-of-12 from the charity stripe.
• Gannon made just 1-of-10 three-point attempts in the first half and finished just 5-of-17 from behind the arc overall. The Golden Knights went 26-of-56 (46%) from the field overall and made 11-of-15 from the free throw line.
• Daemen finished with a 35-32 edge in total rebounds. Gannon finished with a slight edge in points off turnovers (18-13) and also posted a 34-26 advantage in points in the paint.

GAME NOTES

• Both teams are coming off impressive 2019-20 campaigns. The Wildcats finished 23-5 last year, claimed their first-ever ECC tournament title and earned their first-ever selection to the NCAA Division II Championship. Gannon went 25-6 last year, claimed the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tournament title and earned a bid to the NCAA Division II Championship.
• The last three meetings between Daemen and Gannon have been decided by a total of 12 points. Before tonight's two-point decision, Daemen posted a 58-52 win at Gannon two years ago and Gannon recorded a 68-64 win at Daemen during the 2017-18 season.
• Daemen is ranked No. 13 in the latest Division II Sports Information (D2SIDA) national media poll and sits 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 19 of their last 21 games dating back to last season, and 41 of their last 48 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.
• This is Daemen's first 4-0 start of the team's NCAA era.
• Daemen has now made at least 10 three-pointers in 10 of its last 20 games. Through the first four games this season, the Wildcats are averaging 10 three-pointers per game. They led the ECC in three-pointers per game (8.5) last season.
  

NEXT JUMP BALL

The same two teams will square off again Sunday (Jan. 31) at Daemen's Lumsden Gymnasium. Game time is 12 noon.

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 teams. To learn more, visit daemenwildcats.com/gameon.