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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
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wbb national poll 030921

Wildcats Slide Down In D2SIDA, WBCA National Polls

Daemen ranked No. 16 in sports info directors poll, at No. 15 in Division II coaches poll

3/9/2021 1:21:00 PM

By: By Joe Kraus, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
AMHERST, N.Y. – For the sixth straight week, the Daemen College women's basketball team is ranked in both Division II national polls. After having their highest national ranking in the program's NCAA era (2015-present) for two straight weeks at No. 9, the Wildcats fell to No. 16 in the latest NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) national poll. In addition, the Wildcats moved down three spots to No. 15 in the final weekly Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II top 25 coaches poll of the season. A postseason poll from the WBCA will be released following the NCAA Division II national championship game scheduled for Friday, March 26 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.  

Daemen heads into the "Big Dance" as the No. 2 seed in the East Region and will make their long-awaited NCAA Tournament debut in the regional semifinals Saturday, March 13 at 6:00 PM. As the No. 2 seed, Daemen has earned a first-round bye and will await the winner of third-seeded Georgian Court and sixth-seeded Concordia (NY) which meet in an opening round game on Friday, March 12.  The East Regional will be held on the campus of Daemen College in Lumsden Gymnasium from March 12-15.

Daemen enters the tournament with a 12-2 start to the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season. The Wildcats closed the regular season in winning fashion with a pair of home victories February 27 and 28 at Lumsden Gymnasium against St. Thomas Aquinas, and, as a result, won their second straight ECC regular season title and finished unbeaten in conference play (9-0) for the first time in the NCAA era (2015-present and the third time in program history. The Wildcats then continued their journey as the top seed and host of the 2021 ECC Women's Basketball Tournament last weekend. A rematch of the 2020 championship game, Daemen moved past fourth-seeded Molloy (52-42) in the ECC semifinals on Thursday March 4, and made their second straight appearance in the conference finals against second-seeded Roberts Wesleyan two days later. The Wildcats saw their eight game winning streak snapped following the Redhawks' 59-53 victory, denying Daemen's attempt to become the first team to repeat as conference tournament champions since Queens College in 2016.

The Wildcats have ridden a stingy defense and strong rebounding into the national conversation this season. Daemen is surrendering just 51.2 points per game on 32.5% shooting to opponents, ranking 3rd and 7th among all Division II teams in those respective stats. The Wildcats also rank third in Division II in rebounding margin, out-rebounding their opponents by an average of 11.9 boards per game. 
 
Leading the Wildcats this season have been the veteran trio of double-figure scorers, senior forward Caroline White (Fairport, N.Y.), junior forward Katie Titus (Penfield, N.Y.) and redshirt senior guard Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.).  The ECC Player of the Year, White leads the team in scoring (14.7 ppg) second in rebounding (7.9) and is shooting a team-best 45.9% from the floor so far this season. Titus is second for Daemen in scoring (14.5 ppg) and leads in rebounding (8.4 rpg), three-point field goals (37) and total blocks (34). Filbert is third on the team in scoring (13.3) but has missed the past six games due to injury. The trio has been supported by contributions from junior forward Mickayla Ivy (Grand Rapids, Mich), who has averaged 9.0 points and 6.9 rebounds and has started in all 14 contests. Freshman guard and ECC Rookie of the Year Alahna Paige (Rochester, N.Y.) is the team leader in assists (46) and has averaged 7.4 points per game.

After never appearing in any Division II national poll before this season, Daemen has been ranked in the D2SIDA media poll for nine consecutive weeks and the WBCA coaches poll for six consecutive weeks. The D2SIDA media poll is conducted by sports information professionals from around the country. The WBCA coaches poll committee is comprised of one head coach from each of the 23 Division II conferences. 
 
D2SIDA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NATIONAL MEDIA POLL - MARCH 9
W-L PTS. PREV.
1. Lubbock Christian (16) 18-0 400 1
2. Hawaii Pacific 13-0 380 2
3. Drury 20-1 367 4
4. North Georgia 17-1 351 7
5. Michigan Tech 20-1 322 8
6. Charleston (W. Va.) 17-2 305 10
7. Lander  17-1 300 3
8. Fort Hays  21-3 297 5
9. Nebraska-Kearney  22-2 240 RV
10. Gannon  13-1 228 12
11. Colorado School of Mines  16-3 220 14
12. Dominican (N.Y.)  12-1 215 RV
13. Minnesota-Duluth  13-1 191 11
14. Belmont Abbey  22-2 188 16
15. Union (Tenn.)  18-5 187 RV
16. DAEMEN 12-2 146 9
17. Valdosta State 17-3 144 6
18. Glenville State 12-3 120 15
19. Texas A&M-Commerce  13-3 115 20
20. Truman State  16-4 100 19
21. Barton  12-2 82 21
22. Central Missouri  19-4 79 13
23. Azusa Pacific 10-4 72 23
24. Georgian Court  8-1 44 17
25. Lee 15-7 25 RV

( ) denotes first-place votes

Others receiving votes: Tusculum 19, Arkansas Tech 16, Western Colorado 11, American International 10, Notre Dame (Ohio) 10, Carson-Newman 3, Grand Valley State 3

Dropped Out: Arkansas Tech, Montevallo, Southwestern Oklahoma State, Grand Valley State

DAEMEN IN THE D2SIDA NATIONAL POLL
Jan. 12 - 20
Jan. 19 - 17
Jan. 26 - 13
Feb. 2 - 14
Feb. 9 - 13
Feb. 16 - 13
Feb. 23 - 9
March 2 - 9
March 9 - 16  
WBCA DIVISION II TOP 25 COACHES POLL - March 9
W-L PTS. PREV.
1. Lubbock Christian (23) 16-0 575 1
2. Drury 20-1 547 3
3. North Georgia 17-1 502 6
4. Hawaii Pacific 13-0 469 4
5. Lander 17-1 468 2
6. Michigan Tech 20-1 447 9
7. Minnesota Duluth 13-1 444 8
8. Charleston (W. Va.) 17-2 383 13
9. Nebraska Kearney 22-3 377 14
10. Fort Hays State 22-3 374 5
11. Texas A&M-Commerce 13-3 336 10
12. Valdosta State 17-3 292 7
13. Belmont Abbey 22-2 266 21
14. Carson-Newman  15-3 241 11
15. DAEMEN 12-2 202 12
16. Tuskegee 12-1 185 19
17. Gannon 13-1 176 20
18. Glenville State 12-3 172 18
19. Southwestern Oklahoma State 17-3 160 16
20. Central Missouri 19-4 155 15
21. Arkansas Tech 14-2 148 17
22. Colorado Mines 17-3 134 24
23. Tusculum 18-3 95 NR
24. Benedict  12-3 81 25
25. Union (Tenn.) 18-5 48 NR

( ) denotes first-place votes

Others receiving votes: West Texas A&M 45; Grand Valley State 30; Truman State 30; Barton 24; Dominican, NY 18; Roberts Wesleyan 15; Cedarville 6; Emporia State 5. Four teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 24 combined points.

Dropped out: No. 22 West Texas A&M, No. 23 Grand Valley State

DAEMEN IN THE WBCA TOP 25 COACHES POLL
Feb. 2 - 18
Feb. 9 - 19
Feb. 16 - 17
Feb. 23 - 12
March 1 - 12
March 8 - 15
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 programs. To learn more, visit daemenwildcats.com/gameon.
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