AMHERST, N.Y. – Saturday afternoon, Daemen women's basketball got one step closer to a goal of finishing atop the ECC standings unbeaten.
The nationally-ranked Wildcats took home another 'W' with a 61-44 against St. Thomas Aquinas Saturday afternoon at Lumsden Gymnasium in the first of two home games to close out the 2021 regular season. Winners of their last six games now, the Wildcats were led by a pair of double-double performances from
Caroline White (Fairport, N.Y.) and
Katie Titus (Penfield, N.Y.).
White, a senior forward, led the Wildcats with 19 points and 14 rebounds and Titus, a junior forward, finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds. With their efforts, the veterans have each reached double-figure scoring for the eighth time this season.
With the win, Daemen improved to 10-1 overall and remain atop of the ECC standings at 8-0. St. Thomas Aquinas dropped to 5-7 and 5-4 in the league.
The Wildcats entered the game at No. 9 in this week's Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) media poll, their highest-ever ranking in the program's NCAA era (2015 – present) and also came in at No. 12 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II top 25 coaches poll.
IMPACT PLAYERS
- In a team-high 35 minutes, White shot 7-of-18 from the floor and shot 5-of-6 in the third quarter alone. White also made a pair of three-pointers along with two steals. Her 19 points and 14 rebounds in the win marked her third double-double of the season and eighth of her career.
- In 30 minutes of action, Titus shot 6-of-13 from the floor and also had two three-pointers. Titus also had four blocks, three coming in the second half alone. With her 15 points and 12 rebounds, Titus now has two double-doubles this season and 17 in her career.
- Junior forward Mickayla Ivy (Grand Rapids, Mich.) finished with nine points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes of action.
- Freshman guard Alahna Paige (Rochester, N.Y.) scored four points and secured a career-high nine rebounds in the victory. Paige also distributed five assists for the third straight game. This is the fifth time she has recorded five or more assists in a game this season.
- Junior guard Victoria Kurisko finished with a team-high 12 points, 10 coming in the first half alone, along with five rebounds for St. Thomas Aquinas. Freshman guard Kaitlyn Watrobski drilled three three-pointers off the bench for 9 points total and sophomore Julia Reggio added seven points and six rebounds. Junior veteran Alexa Huertas added six points off two three-pointers early in the first quarter.
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SUMMARY
First Quarter (Daemen 16, STAC 8) – The Spartans scored first with a three-pointer from Huertas 31 seconds into the contest before the Wildcats responded with a 12-0 run to take a 12-3 lead with 5:10 remaining thanks to five points overall from Titus and a three-pointer from
Natalie Angeletti (Panaman, N.Y.) most notably. The Spartans cut the deficit to six points (14-8) with a basket from Kurisko with 2:13 remaining. The Wildcats then swung the momentum back to their side as a jumper from senior
Autumn Buchsenschutz (Port Allegany, Pa.) with 0:41 left gave Daemen an eight-point lead heading into the second quarter, 16-8.
Second Quarter (Daemen 14, STAC 13) – Watrobski's first three-pointer of the afternoon at the 8:40 mark cut into Daemen's lead, 17-12. This sparked a 10-2 run for Daemen over the next 2:45 as White's three-pointer and inside shots from Titus, Ivy and Angeletti (5 points total) extended Daemen's lead to 13 points (27-14) with 5:55 left. The Spartans, however, responded with a 7-3 run to end the half behind Kurisko's jumper with 0:06 remaining. Daemen entered the break with a 30-21 lead.
Third Quarter (Daemen 23, STAC 7) – After Kurisko's final basket of the day in the first minute of the quarter brough the Spartans within nine points (32-23), the Wildcats responded with a 18-5 run over the remainder of the frame. White scored 14 points in the quarter on 5-of-6 shooting and seven of Daemen's last 11 points in the frame, a stretch that was capped off by a three-pointer off Paige's assists with 0:15 remaining. This make gave Daemen a 53-28 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter (STAC 16, Daemen 8) – Watrobski knocked down her third and final three-pointer of the day while Melissa Alifano finished with four points in the frame as the Spartans tried to make up lost ground. Ivy scored four points for the Wildcats in the frame while redshirt guard
Alina Estrella (Brooklyn, N.Y.) converted a three-pointer to wrap up Daemen's sixth straight win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Daemen shot 23-of-66 (34.8%) from the floor, including 7-of-16 (43.8%) in the first quarter. The Wildcats finished 6-of-27 (22.2%) from beyond the arc, with two each coming in the first and third quarters. Daemen also went 9-of-13 (69.2%) from the free-throw line.
- St. Thomas Aquinas shot 13-of-62 (21.0%) from the floor and just 5-of-29 (17.2%) in the first half. The Spartans finished 6-of-21 (28.6%) from beyond the arc and went 12-18 (66.7%) at the free-throw line.
- Daemen outrebounded the Spartans, 58-39. The Wildcats had 15 assists, their 10th game in double-figure assists this season. Daemen also won the battle against STAC in points in the paint (26-14), fast-break scoring (14-0) and second-chance opportunities (19-13). STAC, however, outscored Daemen off the bench, 18-9.
JENEPHER BANKER POSTGAME COMMENTS
GAME NOTES
- Daemen was without the services of redshirt senior Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.) for the third straight game due to injury. The ECC Preseason Player of the Year averaged 13.3 points per game in eight games this season and ranks 20th among Daemen's all-time leading scorers with 1,096 points in 93 career games.
- The Wildcats are off to a 10-1 start this season, their best start in the program's NCAA Division II era (2015-present).
- With their 58 rebounds Saturday, Daemen recorded their second-highest total this season (66 versus D'Youville on Jan. 24) and reached the 50+ rebound mark for the third time this season, including their most recent mark of 53 boards on Feb. 21 at Mercy.
- Daemen has held nine of its 11 opponents to less than 40-percent shooting from the field, including the last six games, and are 9-0 overall in these contests.
- The Wildcats have now won 25 of their last 28 games dating back to last season and are 47-8 dating back to the 2018-19 season.
- Daemen has held 33 of its last 39 opponents to 65 points or fewer, posting a 31-2 record in those contests.
- 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.
NEXT JUMP BALL
The Wildcats conclude their 2021 regular season when they host St. Thomas Aquinas in the back-half of a two-game series Feb. 28 at Lumsden Gymnasium. Tip-off for the game is at 12 P.M. and will be streamed on the ECC Sports Network.
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.
