AMHERST, N.Y. - Senior Mickayla Ivy (Grand Rapids, Mich.) scored a team-high 13 points in just 18 minutes of action to lead the Daemen College women's basketball team to a 61-51 victory over upset-minded University of the District of Columbia today at Lumsden Gymnasium on the Daemen campus.

Daemen extended its winning streak to 10 straight games and improved to 12-3 overall and 10-0 in East Coast Conference play. The Wildcats have won 19 straight regular season conference games dating back to the start of last season. Daemen entered the game ranked eighth in the Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region poll. UDC saw its two game winning streak snapped and dropped to 9-9 overall and 5-4 in the league.

Daemen, which never trailed in the game, held a 13-7 lead midway through the first quarter and later took an 18-11 advantage following a three-pointer by senior Katie Titus (Penfield, N.Y.) with just over two minutes remaining in the quarter. The Wildcats would take a 21-13 lead into the second quarter after redshirt senior Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.) drained a buzzer-beating three-pointer. Both teams struggled to score early in the second quarter and the Daemen lead was six points, 21-15, when the hosts got two free throws from sophomore Alahna Paige (Rochester, N.Y.) and a three-pointer by redshirt sophomore Alina Estrella (Brooklyn, N.Y.) to take its first double digit lead of the game, 26-15. A layup by Titus with just under three minutes left in the frame gave the hosts a 34-20 lead, but the Wildcats went scoreless the rest of the half and the Daemen lead was 10 points, 34-24, at the break.

Daemen opened the third quarter with a conventional three-point play by Ivy and the hosts later took a 42-28 lead following a triple by sophomore Kaytlyn Matz (Johnsburg, Ill.) with 5:27 left in the quarter. The Daemen lead was still double digits, 46-36, with less than two minutes in the frame when a three-pointer by sophomore guard Latavia Jackson sparked the Firebirds on an 8-2 spurt that cut the Daemen lead to four points, 48-44. Daemen scored the first four points of the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats then went scoreless for over three minutes. UDC was unable to take advantage and the Daemen lead was four points when Filbert scored at the four minute mark to make it 54-48. UDC answered with a bucket on its next possession, but sophomore Natalie Angeletti (Panama, N.Y.) came up big for the hosts with a three-pointer (just her second of the season) and a jumper in the lane to extend Daemen's lead to 59-50 with just under two minutes left. The Firebirds managed just one free throw down the stretch.

IMPACT PLAYERS

• Ivy went 4-of-7 from the field and finished with 13 points and four rebounds.
• Titus, who scored 31 points in a win over Staten Island Friday night, struggled from the field (5-of-14) today but still managed to total 11 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals while playing a season-high 36 minutes.
• Matz played 32 minutes and totaled nine points and five rebounds. She also equaled her career-high for assists (4) and collected a career-high three steals.
• Paige returned to the lineup after missing Friday's game and contributed nine points and three assists.
• Filbert played all 40 minutes for the second straight game and nearly recorded her second-straight double-double. She finished with seven points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds for the second straight game. The veteran also handed out four assists.
• Angeletti added seven points and four boards in 18 minutes off the bench.
• Jackson totaled 21 for the Firebirds, while freshman guard Destiny Ryles added 17 points, six rebounds and four steals.

GAME NOTES

• Daemen is now tied with Chestnut Hill College for the longest winning streak in the East region. CHC plays at Nyack College tonight.
• Daemen has now won 30-straight home regular-season conference games dating back to the 2017-18 season.
• Daemen has held 50 of its last 59 opponents to 65 points or less, posting a 46-4 record in those games.
• The Wildcats shot just 37-percent (22-of-59) from the field overall today and made just 6-of-23 from three-point range. UDC shot just 35-percent (21-of-60) overall and connected on just 2-of-15 from downtown.
• Daemen finished with an edge in points off turnovers (16-10) and points in the paint (32-30).
• Daemen dished out 17 assists tonight and has now recorded 10 or more assists in 12 straight games
• Filbert increased her career totals 1,256 points, 528 rebounds, 313 assists and 129 steals in 108 career games. She ranks 13th in career points among Daemen's all-time leaders and is just the sixth player in program history with at least 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists.
• Titus became the 27th member of Daemen's 1,000-Point Club during a win over Angelo State University earlier this year and has now totaled 1,244 points, 705 rebounds and 145 blocks in 88 career games. She is just the fourth player in program history to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocks.
• Tonight's game marked the 15th all-time meeting between the two schools. The Wildcats have now prevailed in the last eight meetings and they own an 8-7 edge in the all-time series.
• Daemen is now 63-13 in their last 76 games, a span that dates back to mid January of 2019.

NEXT JUMP BALL

The Wildcats return to action Wednesday (Feb. 2) when they travel to Roberts Wesleyan College for a key ECC game.


Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 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.

Follow the Daemen College women's basketball program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenWBB.