ECC Preseason Player of the Year Katie Titus leads Daemen into the opening weekend of the 2021-22 season

Nationally Ranked Wildcats Open Season At Redhawks Classic

Daemen to face St. Anselm & Felician this weekend

11/11/2021 12:43:00 PM

REDHAWKS CLASSIC
Nov. 12-13 | Voller Athletic Center | Rochester, N.Y.
Watch (ECC Network)
Live Stats
Game Notes (PDF)

Friday, Nov. 12 - 6:00 PM
#20/#8 Daemen (0-0, 0-0 ECC) vs. Saint Anselm (0-0, 0-0 NE-10)

Saturday, Nov. 13 - 2:00 PM
#20/#8 Daemen vs. Felician (0-0, 0-0 CACC)

JUMP BALL
Daemen officially opens the 2021-22 season this weekend with two games at the Redhawks Classic hosted by Roberts Wesleyan. It marks the sixth time in the last seven seasons that the Wildcats have started at a RWC-hosted tournament. Daemen will face one of the East Region's premier teams Friday night as they battle Saint Anselm. They'll close the tournament Saturday afternoon by facing Felician.

A MAGICAL RUN
The Wildcats earned their second consecutive NCAA tournament berth and captured their first regional title last March. After entering the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the East Regional, the Wildcats ran to a 73-54 win over third-seeded Georgian Court in the regional semifinals, marking the program's first-ever NCAA tournament victory. The Wildcats followed up with a 58-40 defeat of fifth-seeded Roberts Wesleyan in the regional final, avenging a loss just nine days prior in the ECC Championship final. Katie Titus was named the Most Outstanding Player of the East Regional after netting 22 points to go with seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals in the regional final. The postseason run came to an end just over a week later in Columbus, Ohio where the Wildcats suffered a 66-49 loss in the Elite Eight to top-seeded and eventual national champion Lubbock Christian.

RELOADED
Daemen is set to return 13 players, including four starters, from their regional championship team – players responsible for 78% of scoring, 81% of rebounds and 85% of their assists from a season ago. Among the returners is senior forward Katie Titus who was recently named the ECC Preseason Player of the Year. A 6-foot forward, Titus produced a career-high 14.8 points per game last season. She led the ECC in three-point field goals (48) and blocks (40) while also ranking second in rebounding (8.1 rpg) and third in scoring en route to earning honorable mention All-American honors. Redshirt senior guard Tiara Filbert - the 2020-21 ECC Preseason Player of the Year - is also set to return after being limited to just eight games by an injury last season. A three-time All-ECC selection, Filbert enters her final collegiate season with 1,096 points in 93 games played. Senior forward Mickayla Ivy (9.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and sophomore guard Alahna Paige (2020-21 ECC Rookie of the Year) also return.

BANK ON IT
Jenepher Banker returns for her sixth season on the Daemen bench and her 11th overall as a collegiate head coach. The veteran mentor has led Daemen to a 78-50 record since taking the reins in 2016, with 55 of her victories coming over the past three seasons. The Wildcats' success under Banker includes a 23-win season in 2019-20 (a benchmark for wins during the program's NCAA Division II era), back-to-back regular season conference titles, the program's first ECC tournament championship, a pair of NCAA tournament berths and the 2021 regional title. She was named the ECC Coach of the Year after leading the Wildcats to an unbeaten run through conference play. Including her five seasons as the head coach at Penn State Behrend, Banker enters the season just five wins shy of 150 for her career.

IN THE POLLS
For the first time in the program's NCAA Division II era (2015-present), the Wildcats are nationally ranked to start the season. Daemen is ranked 20th in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll and eighth in the Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) Preseason Media Poll. The Wildcats ended the 2020-21 season ranked eighth in both polls - the first time they've finished a season in the national rankings.

MILESTONE CHASE
Senior forward Katie Titus will open the season needing just 42 points to become the 27th member of Daemen's 1,000 point club. In 73 career games, Titus has made 65 starts and totaled 958 points, 573 rebounds and 127 blocked shots. A three-time All-ECC selection, Titus is also bidding to become just the fourth player in program history to have 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks in a career.

HIGH ECC-XPECTATIONS
For the second straight season, Daemen has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the ECC. The Wildcats were the near unanimous choice atop the ECC Preseason Coaches Poll, garnering nine of the 10 first-place votes and 97 points. The Wildcats posted a 9-0 ECC record last season - the program's first unbeaten conference season since 2003-04 - and hold a 37-6 conference mark over the past three seasons.

TUNING UP
Daemen got a dress rehearsal opportunity last week as they met Division I Buffalo in an exhibition contest at Alumni Arena. The highly touted Bulls, who are picked to win the MAC tournament this season, scored a 98-43 win in the teams' third exhibition matchup since 2010. Kaytlyn Matz (11 points) and Mickayla Ivy (10 points, five rebounds) led the Wildcats.

SWEET CAROLINE
The biggest missing piece from last season is forward Caroline White who was lost to graduation last spring. White earned ECC Player of the Year honors last season after averaging 15.2 points (second in ECC) and 8.5 rebounds (first in ECC) per game.

T IT UP
Daemen will regain the services of redshirt senior guard Tiara Filbert to start the 2021-22 season. A three-time All-ECC selection, Filbert missed the final nine games last season with an injury. She has appeared in 93 games in her career, averaging 11.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. In Daemen's 2020-21 season opener, she became the 25th member of the program's 1,000 Point Club. Filbert currently ranks 20th in program history with 1,096 career points.

BREAKOUT SEASON
Senior forward Mickayla Ivy will look to take her game to another level after experiencing a breakout campaign in 2020-21. After averaging 2.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in her first two seasons, Ivy emerged as a consistent performer at both ends of the floor last season. She started all 17 contests and averaged 9.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 50% from the field. Her contributions were recognized by the ECC coaches who voted her onto the All-ECC Second Team.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Daemen has held 38 of its last 45 opponents to 65 points or less, posting a 35-3 record in those games. The Wildcats were among the best defensive teams in the country in 2020-21, ranking third nationally in both field goal percentage defense (.325) and scoring defense (51.6).

SUSTAINED SUCCESS
Daemen has posted a 51-10 record in their last 61 games, a span that dates back to mid-January of 2019. The Wildcats have won 10 of their 13 regular season, non-conference games in that time.

SEASON OPENERS
Daemen has posted a 7-3 record in season-opening tournaments hosted by Roberts Wesleyan since the start of the 2015-16 season. The Wildcats have started 1-0 in three of the last five seasons, including their 82-64 defeat of Mercyhurst to start the 2020-21 campaign.

FRESH FACES
Daemen welcomes just two newcomers to the roster this season. Junior guard Sarah Cloutier is a transfer from NAIA affiliate Southeastern where she appeared in 38 games over two seasons while helping the Fire post a 53-6 record. Guard Sydney Hvizdzak is the lone freshmen on Daemen's roster. She comes to the Wildcats after earning All-Western New York honors last winter when she averaged 26.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game while leading Randolph to the Section VI Class C title game. Hvizdzak is one of only 15 women in Section VI history to surpass 2,000 career points.

SCOUTING SAINT ANSELM
The Saint Anselm Hawks are members of the Northeast-10 Conference and are led by veteran head coach Corey Boillard who returns for his fifth season with the program and his 10th as a collegiate head coach overall. Boillard has led the Hawks to a 60-29 overall record, two NCAA tournament berths and the 2019 East Region championship. Just six players remain from the Hawks' 2019-20 team that finished 21-7 overall. The Hawks did not compete during the 2020-21 season due to Covid-19.

Headlining the Saint Anselm returners is senior guard Peyton Steinman who earned First Team All-NE-10 honors in 2019-20. A 5-foot-8 guard, Steinman finished second in the league in scoring (19.6 ppg) and tallied a team-high 102 assists. She has scored 10+ points in 33 straight games.

Junior guard Macy Spinks also returns after being named to the NE-10 All-Rookie Team in 2019-20. Spinks started 27 of 28 contests that season and averaged 6.2 points and 3.1 assists per game.

The Hawks were picked third in the NE-10 Northeast Division preseason poll, behind only Stonehill and Bentley. The Hawks are seeking their first NE-10 championship since the 1990-91 season. Friday's game vs. Daemen is their first in 614 days.

SERIES HISTORY VS. SAINT ANSELM
All-Time Series: 0-3
At Neutral Site: 0-0
Current Streak: Lost 3
Last Meeting: St. Anselm 64, Daemen 56 | Jan. 3, 2019 | at Amherst, N.Y.

DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that Saint Anselm is one of three Northeast-10 Conference opponents on Daemen's 2021-22 schedule? In addition to the Hawks, Daemen will play Stonehill and Bentley. Each of the opponents were picked in the top three of the NE-10 Northeast Division preseason coaches' poll.

SCOUTING FELICIAN
The Felician Falcons are members of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference and are led by veteran head coach Steve Fagan. Now in his 14th season with the program, Fagan has led the Falcons to 113 wins and six CACC tournament berths. Eight players, including three who started at least seven games, return from Felician's 2020-21 team that finished 0-11.

Junior guard/forward Briana Lee leads the Felician returners after averaging a team-high 18.0 points and 12.1 rebounds per game last season. She ranked first in rebounding and second in scoring among the CACC leaders. The New Jersey native has averaged 16.3 points and 9.5 rebounds in 32 career games.

Junior forward Tiara Mahorn (7.1 ppg) and senior guard Niaimani Marshall (6.8 ppg) also return. Newcomer Katelyn Andres will look to make an immediate impact as she returns to her home state as a grad student after beginning her career at Post.

The Falcons were picked sixth in the CACC North Division preseason poll.

SERIES HISTORY VS. FELICIAN
All-Time Series: 2-0
At Neutral Site: 1-0
Current Streak: Won 2
Last Meeting: Daemen 65, Felician 64 | Nov. 11, 2016 | at Rochester, N.Y.

DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that Daemen has won seven straight games against Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference members? The Wildcats extended that streak with a 73-54 defeat of Georgian Court in last season's East Regional semifinals. Daemen's last loss to a CACC affiliate came on Nov. 14, 2015 against Nyack (64-56).

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