Filbert named ECC Preseason Player of Year

1/8/2021 1:30:00 PM

By: By Joe Kraus, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

AMHERST, N.Y. – Redshirt-senior guard Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.) of Daemen College has been named the East Coast Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Player of the Year. It comes after a strong redshirt-junior campaign that ended with Filbert leading the Wildcats to their first ECC championship and NCAA Tournament berth. Filbert is the first women's basketball player from Daemen to earn ECC Preseason Player of the Year honors.

A first-team ECC selection and member of the ECC All-Tournament team a year ago, Filbert has developed into a lethal left-handed threat in the backcourt for Daemen. The 5-foot-9 guard had a team-high 14.4 points per game and 3.7 assists per game. Filbert's averages in points and assists per game were top-five finishes among all East Coast Conference players.

Named the team's Most Valuable Player, Filbert established her name in the Daemen record books as she became the sixth player in program history and the first since Chelsea Andorka in 2012-13 to total 400 points and 100 assists in a single season. Heading into the 2020-21 season, Filbert is only 10 points shy of becoming the 25^th member of the program's 1,000-point club. In 85 career games, Filbert has totaled 990 points, 396 rebounds, 229 assists and 103 steals.

Top performances last season included an ECC season-high 38-point outing on 13-of-20 shooting, and 4-of-8 from three-point range in a neutral site loss to Nova Southeastern on Nov. 29; contributed 22 points, five rebounds and five assists in a win versus rival Roberts Wesleyan on Dec. 7; scoring all 15 points in the second half along with a season-high eight assists in a key conference win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Feb 14; and a 13-point, seven-rebound, six-assist outing in the ECC tournaments finals versus Molloy on Mar. 8.

Barring schedule changes due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Wildcats' season opener is set for Jan. 16 when they host Mercyhurst in a non-conference matchup at Lumsden Gymnasium.

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.

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