GAME #7
Daemen Wildcats (3-3, 1-0 ECC) vs. Bridgeport Purple Knights (3-5, 0-1 ECC)
Sunday, Dec. 12 | 11 a.m. | Lumsden Gymnasium | Amherst, N.Y.
Watch - ECC Sports Network
Live Stats
Daemen Game Notes (PDF)
Tickets (all ticket sales online via Hometown Ticketing - no cash accepted on site)

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JUMP BALL
Daemen continues their 2021-22 season and East Coast Conference play as they host the Bridgeport Purple Knights in a Sunday matinee in Lumsden Gymnasium. This will be Daemen's first meeting with Bridgeport since an 87-65 road win on February 7, 2020. This will be Bridgeport's second ECC contest of the season after the program saw its 2020-21 campaign cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Wildcats have won 25 consecutive home conference games.

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 81-53 record since taking the reins in 2016, with 58 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 Sunday just two 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 tied for ninth in D2SIDA's latest East Region Poll and have now been ranked in 25 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 December 10, in 79 career games, Titus has made 71 starts and totaled 1,061 points, 628 rebounds and 134 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 38-6 conference mark since the start of the 2018-19 season. 

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 98 games in her career, averaging 11.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 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 1,153 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 42 of its last 51 opponents to 65 points or less, posting a 38-4 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 54-13 record in their last 67 games, a span that dates back to mid-January of 2019. The Wildcats have won 12 of their 18 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
In what was their first game since a 68-66 loss versus Stonehill on Nov. 30, Daemen bounced back with an 83-46 victory over rival Roberts Wesleyan to kick off their East Coast Conference slate. The Wildcats went 18-of-32 from beyond the arc (.563), finishing just two shy of the program record (20) set during an 89-62 win over Queens College on Jan. 10, 2020. Daemen had not made more than eight three-pointers in a game up to this point this season. The Wildcats also posted season-highs in assists (25) and a season-high 10 steals for a second straight game. Four players finished in double figures in for Daemen. Redshirt senior Tiara Filbert and senior Katie Titus led the team with 16 points apiece. Filbert posted season-highs in rebounds (6) and steals (4) while Titus finished in double figures for the fifth time this season. Senior Mickayla Ivy finished with 12 points and a season-high five assists. And, in 17 minutes off the bench, freshman Sydney Hvizdzak went 5-of-8 from beyond the arc (15 points total) and finished in double figures for the first time in her career. The Wildcats converted 10 three-pointers in the first half to build up a 46-22 lead at the break. The 43 point margin of victory ranks as the largest margin of victory in the series since the two programs transitioned to NCAA Division II status—topping the previous high of 35 points during an 83-48 Daemen victory last February. Daemen finished 5-1 against RWC in 2021.
 

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SCOUTING BRIDGEPORT
The Bridgeport Purple Knights are members of the East Coast Conference and are led by first year head coach Mike West, who was introduced this past July. The Purple Knights saw their 2020-21 season cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. West came to Bridgeport from Division I Hofstra University where he served as an assistant women's basketball coach for two seasons. He also spent four years as the head women's basketball coach at Division II Chestnut Hill College and led the Griffins to 56 wins and three consecutive Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Championship Tournament appearances.

Only two players, graduate student guard Samirah Henderson and junior center Stephanie McBride, return from Bridgeport's 2019-20 team that finished 6-23 overall and 4-12 in East Coast Conference play.

Henderson leads the Purple Knights in points per game (18.9), assists per game (3.8), made three-pointers (23) and is shooting 51.5% from the floor overall. McBride is posting a team-high 10.3 rebounds per game along with 11.6 points per game (fourth best on team.) Sophomore forward Brianna Meekins (12.9) and graduate student guard Janiece Loney (12.4) are second and third on the team in scoring respectively.

Bridgeport enters Sunday following a 95-68 loss against ECC opponent D'Youville on Dec. 10 and picked up non-conference wins against Bloomfield (70-66 on Nov. 17), Nyack (79-63 on Nov. 27) and Pace University (57-43 on Dec. 3.)
  

SERIES HISTORY VS. BRIDGEPORT
All-Time Series: 11-3
At Daemen: 7-0
Current Streak: Win 5
Last Meeting: Daemen 87, Bridgeport 65 | February 7, 2020 | at Bridgeport, Conn.