Game #9
Daemen Wildcats (7-1, 3-1 ECC) vs. Saint Anselm Hawks (2-7, 1-6 NE-10)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 18
Time: 12 PM
Location: Manchester, N.H. | Stoutenburgh Gymnasium
Live Stream: via
NE10 Now
Live Stats: via
saintanselmhawks.com
JUMP BALL
The Daemen University women's basketball team hits the road and returns to non-conference play on Sunday when they head to Manchester, New Hampshire to take on the Saint Anselm Hawks at noon. The Wildcats head into Sunday's matchup with a 7-1 overall record and a 3-1 record in East Coast Conference play. Saint Anselm, a member of the Northeast-10 Conference, holds a 2-7 overall record and a 1-6 NE-10 record.
BACK ON TRACK
Daemen opened up the season with a 6-0 record, their best start in the NCAA era (2015-present). After being one of just 14 undefeated teams in Division II women's basketball, the Wildcats dropped their first game of the season last Friday in a 66-65 overtime final to St. Thomas Aquinas, and got back on track on Sunday with a 78-62 victory over Mercy, marking their highest scoring game of the season.
NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
The Wildcats are 4-0 on the season in non-conference play, with a 52-45 win against nationally-ranked Pace in the season opener, a 72-60 victory over Felician in the finale of the Redhawks Classic, a 69-66 win against Le Moyne marking the first time the Wildcats had beaten the Dolphins since 2013, and the Cats' largest win of the year, a 66-45 trouncing of Bloomsburg in the last non-conference game before ECC play began. Over the past three seasons, Daemen has posted a 12-6 record in non-conference action. This year's four-wins in non-conference play marks the highest number of victories since the 2019-20 season when the Wildcats finished 8-2 against non-ECC opponents.
POLL POSITION
Daemen is ranked No. 19 in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) NCAA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll, and No. 22 in the fifth Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) Women's Basketball National Poll, as well as No. 3 in the East Region in the D2SIDA Regional Poll. The Wildcats dropped in each poll after experiencing their first loss of the season last Friday night, but remain in the national conversation with their 7-1 record on the year.
STEADY CATS
On the year, Daemen is averaging 67 points per game and outscoring opponents by 11.7 ppg. The Wildcats have a field goal percentage of 40.7 on the season, as well as a three-point field goal percentage of 39.6. The Wildcats average 38 rebounds per game compared to 35.1 for their opponents, and are averaging 10.3 steals per game. Daemen is ranked 25th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing their opponents to score an average of 55.4 points per game.
SHARP SHOOTER
Graduate student
Paige Emborsky (Newfane, N.Y.) leads the Wildcats on the season with 104 points on the year, averaging 13 ppg. She is a threat inside and outside the arc, shooting 56.7-percent from the field on the year (34-of-60) and 61.5-percent from three (24-of-39), and leads the Wildcats in rebounding (39 total), averaging 4.9 rebounds per game. Emborsky is ranked third in the nation for three-point percentage with her 61.5%, and is tied at 17th for three-pointers per game (3.0). She averages 29.6 minutes per game, and has scored double-digit points in six of Daemen's eight games this season.
REBOUND MACHINE
Junior forward
Natalie Angeletti (Panama, N.Y.) averages 5.4 rebounds per game, leading the team with 43 boards on the season. She tallies a team-high 16 offensive rebounds on the year (2.0 offensive boards per game), and ranks second on the team behind Emborsky with 3.38 defensive rebounds per game. Angeletti ranks eighth in the nation in assist/turnover ratio with 4.67, tallying 14 assists and just three turnovers on the year. She ranks fourth on the team in scoring (7.6 ppg), and is shooting 53-percent from the field (27-of-51) and 67-percent from beyond the arc (2-of-3).
EARLY IMPACT
Newcomers
Gabby McDuffie (Buffalo, N.Y.) and
Shyla Montgomery (Brockton, Mass.) have made an impact on the Wildcats through the first eight games of the year. Junior transfer guard McDuffie ranks third on the team in scoring (8.9 ppg) after putting up double-digit points in three of the last four games, including a season-high 19-point outing against Mercy on Sunday afternoon. McDuffie has pulled down 12 offensive boards and 12 defensive boards on the year, and tallied 16 assists and nine steals. In her freshman season, guard Montgomery leads the team in steals with 15 (1.9 steals per game) along with 13 assists and 19 rebounds. A scrappy defender, Montgomery has tallied four multi-steal games on the year, and averages 2.4 rebounds per game.
SCOUTING THE SAINT ANSELM HAWKS
The Hawks have had a tough start to the 2022-23 season, going 2-7 on the year and 1-6 in the NE-10 so far. Saint Anselm split their season-opening tournament, starting 1-1 on the year with a one-point loss to Southern New Hampshire and a 17 point victory over Dominican before opening up conference play. The Hawks dropped their first two games of conference action but picked up a big 61-37 win over Pace before going on a four game losing streak in NE-10 action. Four of Saint A's losses have been within five points or less, with their opponents' just narrowly outscoring 62.1 to 61.8 per game. The Hawks have two triple-digit scorers on the year in junior guard
Gabby Turco who averages 17 ppg, and senior forward
Liz Robles who averages 11 ppg. Robles leads the team at the boards with 7.7 rebounds per game, and Turco ranks second on the team with 6.3 rebounds per game. Turco and
McKenzy Ouelette both have a team-high 17 offensive boards on the year. Senior guard
Macy Spinks tallies 25 assists on the year. The Hawks will play Post in a non-conference tilt on Friday evening.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. SAINT ANSELM
Record: Saint Anselm 4-0
Away Record: Saint Anselm 1-0
Neutral Record: Saint Anselm 2-0
Last Meeting: Saint Anselm 75, Daemen 70 | Nov. 11, 2021, Rochester, N.Y.
Daemen University 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.
Follow the Daemen women's basketball program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenWBB.
