AMHERST, N.Y. – Six weeks ago and a day since their home opener against Mercyhurst, Daemen women's basketball accomplished two of their team goals – complete as many of their games as possible and finish atop the ECC standings. And through the ups and downs, and at times uncertainty, the Wildcats completed these goals on Sunday afternoon.

Behind a career-high 28-point outing from freshman Alahna Paige (Rochester, N.Y.), nationally-ranked Daemen clinched their second straight ECC regular season title with a 67-49 victory against St. Thomas Aquinas at Lumsden Gymnasium. With the win, Daemen finished unbeaten in conference play (9-0) for the first time in the NCAA era (2015-present) and the third time in program history. Daemen is now 11-1 overall while St. Thomas Aquinas fell to 5-8 and 5-5 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 34 minutes off the bench for the first time this season, Paige shot a game-high 10-of-13 from the floor and finished 7-of-9 from beyond the arc plus three assists. Her seven made three-pointers are the most by a Daemen player in the NCAA era (2015-present) since Ashli Jeune accomplished this feat versus Queens College on Jan. 10, 2020.
• In a team-high 33 minutes, senior forward Caroline White finished with 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting along with nine rebounds and a career-high seven assists. This is White's ninth game in double-figure scoring this season.  
• Junior forward Katie Titus (Penfield, N.Y.) finished with 11 points, including three three-pointers, plus eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals in 28 minutes of action. Titus also now has nine games in double-figure scoring this season.
• Junior forward Mickayla Ivy (Grand Rapids, Mich.) scored all 10 of her points in the second half on 4-of-6 shooting along with three rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes of action.   
• Junior veteran Alexa Huertas finished with a team-high 12 points in the loss, including a pair of three-pointers, to lead St. Thomas Aquinas. Melissa Alifano scored eight of her 10 points in the first half alone along with five rebounds. Junior Victoria Kurisko finished with four points and a team-high nine rebounds while freshman Kaitlyn Watrobski added 10 points off the bench.

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER SUMMARY
First Quarter (STAC 11, Daemen 6) – Paige's first three-pointer of the day gave Daemen a 6-4 lead with 3:10 remaining. This sparked a 7-0 run from the Spartans to close the quarter as Alifano and Kurisko made consecutive layups followed by a three-pointer from Huertas with 0:33 remaining.    

Second Quarter (Daemen 26, STAC 6) – Behind an old-fashioned three-point play and a three-pointer from Paige on consecutive scoring possessions, Daemen came out swinging to start the frame on a 9-0 run and took a 15-11 lead with 4:45 remaining in the half, prompting a STAC timeout. Chanel Brodeur-Muir's basket brought the Spartans back within a basket (15-13) out of the timeout before the Wildcats closed the half on a 17-4 run, with more inside and outside shooting from White, Titus and Paige's second three-pointer of the quarter to finish with 12 points in the half. Daemen went into the break with a 32-17 lead.   

Third Quarter (Daemen 19, STAC 15) – A jumper from Huertas cut Daemen's lead to 38-23 with 7:11 remaining before the Wildcats carried over their momentum from the previous quarter. Paige drilled two more three-pointers as part of an eight-point outing in the frame while Ivy scored six of her 10 second half points. Daemen outscored STAC, 13-9, in this stretch, while Huertas' contributions inside the paint and at the free stripe and a three-pointer from Kaitlyn Watrobski cut Daemen's lead to 51-32 heading into the fourth quarter.

Fourth Quarter (STAC 17, Daemen 16) – Paige knocked down her two final three-pointers in the contest before collecting her last bucket of the day with 5:53 remaining (Daemen 65-40). Ivy and White rounded Daemen's scoring in the quarter with four points each. Watrobski led the Spartans' scorers in the quarter with seven points, including a three-pointer that became the team's last made field-goal of the game with 1:34 left.
 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• After only shooting 2-of-12 (16.7%) in the first quarter, Daemen heated up and finished the contest shooting 26-of-59 overall (44.1%), including 10-of-17 (58.8%) in the second quarter alone. The Wildcats finished 10-of-32 (31.3%) from beyond the arc, with three each coming in the second and third quarters. Daemen also went 5-of-7 (71.4%) from the free-throw line.
• St. Thomas Aquinas shot 17-of-47 (36.2%) from the floor, going 7-of-13 (53.9%) in the fourth quarter. The Spartans finished 5-of-15 (33.3%) from three-point shooting and went 10-of-13 (76.9%) at the charity stripe.
• Daemen and STAC finished with 31 rebounds apiece in the contest, the first time Daemen has tied their opponent in this category this season. The Wildcats had 19 assists, their 11^th game in double-figure assists this season. Daemen scored 19 points off turnovers and had 14 points off fast-break opportunities. Daemen also outgained STAC in points in the paint, 20-16 and bench points, 28-13.

HEAD COACH JENEPHER BANKER POSTGAME COMMENTS


GAME NOTES

• The Wildcats are off to an 11-1 start this season, their best start in the program's NCAA Division II era (2015-present).
• In addition to this being their first unbeaten finish in the NCAA era (2015-present), this was Daemen's first unbeaten conference season since 2003-04 and the third time in program history.
• Daemen has held 10 of its 12 opponents to less than 40-percent shooting from the field, including the last seven games and are 10-0 overall in these contests.
• The Wildcats have now won 26 of their last 29 games dating back to last season and are 48-8 dating back to the 2018-19 season.
• Daemen has held 34 of its last 40 opponents to 65 points or fewer, posting a 32-2 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 now prepare for postseason play as the top seed in the ECC Tournament with a home semifinal game. Daemen awaits the winner of Tuesday's quarterfinal game between Mercy and Molloy and will tip-off on Thursday, March 4 at 6 PM at Lumsden Gymnasium. The ECC semifinals and championship game will be hosted at Daemen College through March 6 and will be streamed on the ECC Sports Network.
 

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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.