GAME #5
Daemen (2-2, 0-0 ECC) vs. Stonehill (0-2, 0-2 NE-10)
Tuesday, Nov. 30 | Lumsden Gymnasium | Amherst, N.Y.
Watch - ECC Sports Network
Live Stats
Daemen Game Notes (PDF)
Tickets

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JUMP BALL
Daemen continues the 2021-22 season when they host the Stonehill Skyhawks Tuesday night at Lumsden Gymnasium. Daemen will play in front of a home crowd for the first time since a 61-50 win over District of Columbia on Feb. 21, 2020 (645 days.) Daemen and Stonehill were set to face each other in the NCAA East Regional on March 13, 2020 before the tournament was cancelled due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
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 an 80-52 record since taking the reins in 2016, with 57 of her victories coming over the past four 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 Tuesday just three wins shy of 150 for her career. 
 
IN THE POLLS
For the first time in the program's NCAA Division II era (2015-present), Daemen was nationally ranked to start the season. Daemen was 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. Daemen is also ranked sixth in D2SIDA's latest East Region Poll and have now been ranked in 23 consecutive D2SIDA regional polls, since January 2019.
 
MILESTONE CHASE
By converting a free-throw in the second quarter of a 54-53 win over Angelo State on November 19, senior Katie Titus became the 27th member of Daemen's 1,000-point club. As of November 27, in 76 career games, Titus has made 68 starts and totaled 1,020 points, 605 rebounds and 129 blocked shots. A three-time All-ECC selection, Titus also became 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. 

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 97 games in her career, averaging 11.6 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 15th in program history with 1,127 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 41 of its last 50 opponents to 65 points or less, posting a 37-4 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 53-12 record in their last 65 games, a span that dates back to mid-January of 2019. The Wildcats have won 12 of their 17 regular season, non-conference games in that time.

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.

TUNING UP
Daemen got a dress rehearsal opportunity 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.

HOW WE GOT HERE
Daemen opened the season by splitting two games at the Redhawks Classic held at Roberts Wesleyan (Nov. 12-13) and splitting two games at the Lady Chap Classic (Nov. 19-20.) Daemen started their trip deep in the heart of Texas with a 54-53 victory over Angelo State. Senior forward Mickayla Ivy's jumper with 19 seconds remaining gave Daemen the lead and eventual win. Classmate Katie Titus became the 27th member of the program's 1,000-point club and finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds – her third double-double of the season and 20th of her career. The Wildcats then followed this up with a 62-37 loss against host Lubbock Christian. A rematch of last year's NCAA Division II Tournament national quarterfinal game – Daemen's first Elite Eight appearance in program history – Daemen only trailed 8-7 with less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter, despite shooting just 2-of-11 from the floor. The Lady Chaps quickly built up a 23-9 lead through the start of the second quarter and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the game. Ivy led Daemen offensively with a team-high eight points in the loss.
 

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SCOUTING STONEHILL
The Stonehill Skyhawks are members of the Northeast-10 Conference and are led by 20-year head coach Trisha Brown. The Skyhawks saw their 2020-21 season cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Brown has led the Skyhawks to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, six NE-10 championships and a spot in the NE-10 tournament for all 19 seasons. A five-time NE-10 Coach of the Year, Brown and Stonehill captured its third NCAA Regional Championship in program history in 2018 and  advanced to the Division II Elite Eight for the first time since 1995. Stonehill also reached the East Regional championship in 2003, 2009 and 2015 under Brown's leadership, while advancing to the NE10 championship game four times, including two of the last three seasons, winning the title in 2008 and 2020.

Seven players return from the Skyhawks' 2019-20 team that finished 23-5 overall and 16-3 in NE-10 play and won the NE10 Tournament Championship.

Senior guard Emily Bramanti leads the Skyhawks so far averaging 22.0 points per game along with 6.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game. Classmate and forward Kayla Raymond is second on the team in scoring (13.5.) Fellow seniors Mia Kelly and Megan Hill are averaging 8.5 points and 4.0 points per game respectively and are tied for the team-lead in rebounds per game (7.5.)

Stonehill enters Tuesday coming off consecutive losses in NE-10 play to open the 2021-22 campaign at St. Michael's College (75-72) and Bentley University (62-51.)
  

SERIES HISTORY VS. STONEHILL
All-Time Series: 0-1
At Daemen: 0-0
Current Streak: Lost 1
Last Meeting: Stonehill 77, Daemen 70 | November 8, 2019 | at Rochester, N.Y. | Redhawks Tip-Off Classic