Daemen freshman Natalie Angeletti looks to contribute once more in weekend series with Roberts Wesleyan.

Women's Basketball Returns To ECC Play Versus Roberts Wesleyan

Daemen hosts long-time rival for two-game weekend series at Lumsden

2/4/2021 1:14:00 PM

By: By Joe Kraus, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

GAME #6
#14 DAEMEN WILDCATS (4-1, 2-0 ECC) VS. ROBERTS WESLEYAN REDHAWKS (2-2, 0-0 ECC)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5
LUMSDEN GYMNASIUM (AMHERST, N.Y.) – 6:00 PM
NO SPECTATORS PERMITTED DUE TO COVID-19

GAME #7
#14 DAEMEN WILDCATS VS ROBERTS WESLEYAN REDHAWKS
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7
LUMSDEN GYMNASIUM (AMHERST, N.Y.) – 12 PM
NO SPECTATORS PERMITTED DUE TO COVID-19

FASTBREAK POINTS
1. Daemen's 2020-21 season continues this weekend as the Wildcats host a two-game series with their longtime rival, the Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks.Daemen enters with a 4-1 record after suffering their first loss of the season while hosting nationally ranked Gannon last Sunday, 65-56. Daemen is also 2-0 in conference play after defeating D'Youville in a home-and-home series last month.

2. This weekend's series will be the 69^th and 70^th all-time meetings between Daemen and Roberts Wesleyan and their first since an 80-48 victory by the Wildcats on Feb. 1, 2020 at the Voller Athletic Center in Rochester, NY. The Wildcats have also won the last four meetings dating back to the start of the 2018-19 campaign. Daemen is 44-24 all-time in the series.

3. For the first time in its NCAA era, Daemen is ranked in both Division II national polls. The Wildcats enter the week at No. 14 on the Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA), down slightly from their highest-ever ranking in this poll at No. 13 a week ago. This is the fourth straight week the program has been ranked in this poll. This week, Daemen also comes in at No. 18 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II top 25 coaches' poll - the first released by the WBCA this season. It marks the first time that Daemen has been included in the WBCA top 25 coaches' poll.

4. Junior forward Katie Titus has remained a two-way playmaker for the Wildcats as her efforts against Gannon last weekend made her the ECC Defensive Player of the Week for the second straight week. The veteran collected 20 defensive rebounds, six blocks and five steals and scored 40 points and shot 58% from the floor in the series. Through five games, Titus leads all ECC players in scoring (19.6 ppg), rebounding (8.6 rpg), field goals (37), three-point field goals (18), blocks (10) and steals (9).

5. Daemen has cashed in on their ball-hawk mentality so far this season. Through the first five contests, the Wildcats have averaged 17.8 points off turnovers, 7.2 steals per game and 4.4 blocks per game and have held their opponents to 36% shooting.

6. Daemen has held 27 of its last 33 opponents to 65 points or fewer, posting a 25-2 record in those contests.

7. Daemen has made at least 10 three-pointers in 10 of their last 21 games and canned a season-high 11 in three contests against Mercyhurst, D'Youville and Gannon. Through the first five games this season, the Wildcats are averaging 9.2 three-pointers per game after they led the ECC last season (8.5).

8. Last Friday's victory against Gannon was significant for the program. Behind a double-double (16 points, 15 rebounds) performance from Katie Titus, the Wildcats defeated the Golden Knights, 70-68, at the Hammermill Center in Erie, Pa. on Jan. 29. This was Daemen's first win against a nationally ranked opponent in the NCAA era. Since the 2015-16 season, Daemen is now 1-7 against teams ranked in either the D2SIDA or WBCA top 25 polls.

9. Daemen's victory against D'Youville on Jan. 24 was the first time Daemen scored 90 or more points in a game since a 90-48 victory versus Mercy College on March 1, 2019. Daemen also established single game records for rebounds (66), assists (25) and victory margin (53) against East Coast Conference opponents and in the NCAA era (2015 – present.).

10. Daemen is coming off a 23-5 campaign that resulted in the program's first ECC championship and NCAA tournament berth. The Wildcats have won 19 of their last 22 games dating back to last season and are 41-8 dating back to the 2018-19 season.

ROBERTS WESLEYAN SCOUTING REPORT

Roberts Wesleyan returns two starters from last year's team that finished 15-13 overall and 8-8 in East Coast Conference play.
The Redhawks are led by head coach Kevin Clifford, who is in his 3rd season and 14th overall as a head coach at the NCAA Division II and Division III collegiate levels. Clifford previously served as the women's basketball coach at Buffalo State College from 2015-18, leading the Bengals to the SUNYAC Semifinals and a 13-win campaign in his final year.
Roberts Wesleyan's 14-player roster consists of eight returning players, four freshmen and two transfers.
Dimitra Gkizani and UMass transfer Paige McCormick have paced the Redhawks. Gkizani leads the team in points (11.5) and rebounds (7.8) per game and is shooting 57.1% (20-of-35) from the floor. McCormick has averaged 10.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and a team-high 3.3 assists per game through the first four games.
Taryn Wilson leads the team in made three-point attempts (8-of-24) and is third on the team in scoring (9.0.)

SERIES HISTORY VS ROBERTS WESLEYAN
All-Time Series: Daemen leads 44-24
At Daemen: Daemen 27-9
Current streak: Daemen won 4
Last meeting: Daemen 80, Roberts Wesleyan 48 | February 1, 2020 | at Rochester, N.Y.

DAEMEN QUICK FACTS
Daemen returns 11 players overall, including seven letter-winners and three starters, from last year's team that finished 23-5 overall and shared the ECC regular season title (13-3) before defeating third-seeded New York Tech and fourth-seeded Molloy to capture the program's first-ever ECC Tournament crown. Daemen enters the 2020-2021 season as the favorite in the ECC. The defending champion Wildcats were picked first in the ECC preseason poll for the first time since joining the league in 2013.

HELLO, MY NAME IS…
Daemen earned its first-ever berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament last season. By comparison, the other seven teams that qualified from the East Region had made a combined 67 appearances. Due to COVID-19 protocols, the tournament was cancelled.

POLL POSITION
Daemen is ranked No. 1 in the D2SIDA East Region media poll and No. 14 in the D2SIDA national media poll this week. It marks the fourth straight week in the program's NCAA era that Daemen has occupied the No. 1 ranking in the region and been nationally ranked. This week, the Wildcats were ranked No. 18 on the first Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II top 25 coaches' poll released this season, marking this the first time the program has been ranked in both Division II national polls. The Wildcats have now been ranked in 20 successive D2SIDA regional polls, a span that dates back to January 2018.

HISTORIC START
The Wildcats won 21 of their first 24 games last season, which ranks as the best start of their NCAA era and their best start overall since opening the 2003–04 season by winning 26 of their first 29 games. The Wildcats won 13 straight games last year, which is a new program record for most consecutive wins during the program's NCAA era. It was the longest winning streak overall since the 2007-08 season when the Wildcats posted a 17-game winning streak.

THE NEXT STEP
Daemen made its third straight appearance in the ECC Championship in 2020, but did not have a win in the tournament until posting victories over New York Tech (76-56) and Molloy (68-56) to claim its first-ever ECC Tournament title.

20/20
Last year, Daemen reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 2012-13 season—and the 16th time in program history.

PICKING UP WHERE THEY LEFT OFF
Daemen got the long-awaited 2020-21 season underway Jan. 16 with an impressive 82-64 win over regionally ranked Mercyhurst, ending a 314-day gap between contests due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and have won four of their first five contests to start their new campaign. The Wildcats have won 19 of their last 22 games and are 41-8 since Jan. 11, 2019.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Daemen has held 27 of its last 33 opponents to 65 points or less, posting a 25-2 record in those games. In 2019-20, Daemen collected 256 steals – the team's most since 355 in 2012-13 – and finished the season ranked 13th in the country for scoring defense, allowing just 55.0 points per game.

LONG RANGE THREATS
Last season, Daemen established a new program record for three-pointers made (238) and attempted (752) in a season, besting the previous standards of 236-693 set in 2009-10. Daemen ranked first among ECC teams in three-pointers made per game (8.5) and three-pointers attempted per game (26.9). The Wildcats also ranked third in three-point field goal percentage (.316). All five of Daemen's starters made at least 29 three-pointers on the year. The Wildcats made a program-record 20 three-pointers in an 89-62 win over Queens on Jan. 10, 2020.

SEASON OPENERS
Daemen's 82-64 win over Mercyhurst snapped a two-game slide in season openers, giving them their first 1-0 start since the 2017-18 season when they defeated American International. Daemen is 24-10 in season openers during the program's modern era (1986-present).

PROTECT THIS HOUSE
With their 65-56 loss hosting Gannon on Jan. 31, Daemen's home-court winning streak was snapped at 20 straight games dating back to the 2018-19 season. This ranked the longest active home winning streak among all East Region teams at the time and was one of the top 10 active streaks among all Division II teams. Daemen went 9-0 at home during the 2019-20 season – the program's first unbeaten home campaign since going 13-0 in 2007-08.

BACK IN THE FOLD
No strangers to consistent play, redshirt senior Tiara Filbert and junior Katie Titus top the list of returning players after once again earning all-conference honors in 2019-20. As a redshirt junior, Filbert earned first-team All-ECC recognition after averaging team-highs in points (14.4) and assists (3.7). Titus continued to dominate in the ECC in her sophomore campaign. The second-team All-ECC selection averaged 13.1 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game along with a team-high eight double-doubles. Senior Caroline White ranked third for Daemen in points (12.9) and second in rebounds (7.0) and served as a two-way player en route to the first All-ECC selection of her career. Fellow senior Autumn Buchsenschutz also returns as a key player this season. Junior Mickayla Ivy and sophomore Marina Maerkl also return after being regular rotation players last season.

FRESH FACES
The 2020-21 roster features several newcomers, including Division I transfer Mary Foster (New Hampshire) and freshmen Natalie Angeletti, Alahna Paige and Kaytlyn Matz. Foster spent two seasons at UNH where she appeared in 20 games. As a freshman, the Elmira native averaged 1.4 rebounds in 7.2 minutes. Angeletti won four Section VI Class D championships in five seasons at Panama. In 2020, the Panthers went 20-2 and finished No. 2 in the state poll. Three NYS Class D Final Fours and consecutive state title games (2016-2017) later, the 2020 NYS Class D Player of the Year is their all-time scorer (1,751 points) while also topping 1,000 rebounds. A four-year letter-winner at Irondequoit, Paige scored 28.6 points per game as a senior, was the All-Greater Rochester Co-Player of the Year and Class A All-State first team after leading the Eagles to a 2020 Section VI Class A championship appearance. She is their all-time scorer at Irondequoit with over 1,000 points. A four-year varsity player at Carmel Catholic, Matz won three regional championships and made Sweet 16 and Elite 8 appearances in the Illinois state playoffs. Team MVP as a senior, Matz was honorable mention all-conference and made the Lake County All-Area team.

HEY ROOKIE
Freshman forward Natalie Angeletti was named the ECC Rookie of the Week after helping Daemen sweep D'Youville in games played Jan. 22 and 24. Angeletti narrowly missed her first career double-double, totaling 9 points and 10 rebounds in the second matchup. She is the sixth Daemen player to earn Rookie of the Week honors since the 2013-14 season when the Wildcats began ECC play.

NEXT JUMP BALL
With their road game against ECC newcomer D'Youville originally scheduled for Feb. 10 now postponed, Daemen's next game will be against this same Roberts Wesleyan team Feb. 17 in Rochester, N.Y. Daemen then hits the road again for a weekend road trip for a two-game series against Mercy on Feb. 20-21 in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.

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