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Wildcats Face Pace In Regional Finals Monday In Manchester

No. 8 Daemen squares off with No.7 Setters with Elite Eight trip on the line

NCAA EAST REGIONAL FINALS
(#8 seed) Daemen Wildcats (22-4, 16-1 ECC) vs. (#7 seed) Pace Setters (23-7, 14-5 NE-10)
Monday, Mar. 14 | 7 p.m. | Stan Spirou Field House | Manchester, N.H.

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NCAA East Regional Tournament Central
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JUMP BALL
Daemen's new journey in the NCAA Division II Tournament continues when they face seventh-seeded Pace in the East Regional finals on Monday March 14. The winners advances to the 2022 Elite Eight held in Birmingham, Ala. from March 21-25. The Wildcats, who are the No. 8 seed in the bracket, are coming off a 70-52 victory over No. 4 Jefferson Saturday. In a 48-hour span, the Wildcats knocked off both the Rams and top-seed Southern New Hampshire (70-59 win on Monday.) and now have a chance to repeat as regional champions since Bentley did in the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Senior forward and 2021-22 ECC Player of the Year Katie Titus recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 34 points (15-of-21 FG) and 14 rebounds and Tiara Filbert added nine points and five assists. Similar to Daemen, Pace eliminated a pair of top-seeds this weekend, most recently a 65-60 victory over No. 3 USciences Saturday. This will be the first time a No. 7 seed faces a No. 8 seed in the regional finals since Francis Marion defeated Augusta in the NCAA DII Southeast Regional finals on March 14, 2016. Since early December, Daemen is 20-1 while Pace is 19-7 heading into the finals. The Wildcats are also 21-3 against East Region opponents this season. 

RELOADED
Daemen is set to return 13 players, including four starters, from their regional championship team – players responsible for 78% of scoring, 81% of rebounds and 85% of their assists from a season ago. Among the returners is senior forward Katie Titus who was recently named the ECC Preseason Player of the Year. A 6-foot forward, Titus produced a career-high 14.8 points per game last season. She led the ECC in three-point field goals (48) and blocks (40) while also ranking second in rebounding (8.1 rpg) and third in scoring en route to earning honorable mention All-American honors. Redshirt senior guard Tiara Filbert - the 2020-21 ECC Preseason Player of the Year - is also set to return after being limited to just eight games by an injury last season. A three-time All-ECC selection, Filbert enters her final collegiate season with 1,096 points in 93 games played. Senior forward Mickayla Ivy (9.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and sophomore guard Alahna Paige (2020-21 ECC Rookie of the Year) also return. 

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A MAGICAL RUN
The Wildcats earned their second consecutive NCAA tournament berth and captured their first regional title last March. After entering the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the East Regional, the Wildcats ran to a 73-54 win over third-seeded Georgian Court in the regional semifinals, marking the program's first-ever NCAA tournament victory. The Wildcats followed up with a 58-40 defeat of fifth-seeded Roberts Wesleyan in the regional final, avenging a loss just nine days prior in the ECC Championship final. Katie Titus was named the Most Outstanding Player of the East Regional after netting 22 points to go with seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals in the regional final. The postseason run came to an end just over a week later in Columbus, Ohio where the Wildcats suffered a 66-49 loss in the Elite Eight to top-seeded and eventual national champion Lubbock Christian.

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THREE-PEAT

With a 71-54 win at Molloy on Feb. 24, Daemen clinched its third consecutive East Coast Conference regular season title. Including finishing as co-champions with St. Thomas Aquinas in 2020, Daemen is now the first team in ECC history to win the regular season title in three consecutive seasons since University of New Haven (now in NE-10) did from 2006-08. New Haven also won the title in 2004 as part of winning four times in a five-year span. Based on records dating back to 1991, The College of St. Rose (now in NE-10) still holds the league record for most consecutive ECC regular season banners (6) as they won in each year from 1995 to 2000 – the last four accomplished with undefeated records.

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Jenepher Banker has presided over the resurgence of the Daemen women's basketball program

BANK ON IT
Jenepher Banker returns for her sixth season on the Daemen bench and her 11th overall as a collegiate head coach. The veteran mentor recorded her 100th win with the Wildcats in a 70-52 victory over Jefferson on March 12 in the NCAA East Regional semifinals. Banker now a 100-54 record since taking the reins in 2016, with 77 of her victories coming over the past four seasons. The Wildcats’ success under Banker includes a 23-win season in 2019-20 (a benchmark for wins during the program's NCAA Division II era), three consecutive regular season conference titles, two ECC tournament championships, three NCAA tournament berths and the 2021 regional title. She was named the 2021 ECC Coach of the Year after leading the Wildcats to an unbeaten run through conference play and was named the ECC Co-Coach of the Year with Molloy's Joe Pellicane this winter. Including her five seasons as the head coach at Penn State Behrend, Banker recorded her 150th win at the collegiate level in Daemen’s 76-59 victory at Staten Island on December 17. 

 

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Katie Titus is among the top players in the ECC this season and one of Daemen's all-time greats.

IN THE POLLS
For the first time in the program's NCAA Division II era (2015-present), Daemen was nationally ranked to start the season. Daemen was ranked 20th in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll and eighth in the Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) Preseason Media Poll. The Wildcats ended the 2020-21 season ranked eighth in both polls - the first time they've finished a season in the national rankings. Daemen was ranked eighth in D2SIDA’S latest East Region Poll. The Wildcats have now been ranked in 34 consecutive D2SIDA regional polls, since January 2019. In the NCAA Division II East Region rankings, Daemen was ranked eighth (Feb. 16), 10th (Feb. 23.) and ninth (March 2.)

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HIGH ECC-XPECTATIONS
For the second straight season, Daemen has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the ECC. The Wildcats were the near unanimous choice atop the ECC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, garnering nine of the 10 first-place votes and 97 points. The Wildcats posted a 9-0 ECC record last season - the program's first unbeaten conference season since 2003-04 - and hold a 57-9 conference mark since the start of the 2018-19 season.

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Tiara Filbert has been a two-way threat over the past five seasons with the Wildcats.

T IT UP

Daemen has regained the services of redshirt senior guard Tiara Filbert to start the 2021-22 season. A three-time All-ECC First Team selection, Filbert missed the final nine games last season with an injury. She has appeared in 119 games and 110 starts in her career and enters Monday just two points shy from passing Bridgette Burke '11 for ninth all-time in career scoring (1,402) and is also ninth in career assists (355.) In Daemen’s 2020-21 season opener, she became the 25th member of the program’s 1,000 Point Club. Filbert is one of one four players in program history with 1,300 points, 550 rebounds and 300 assists.

BREAKOUT SEASON
After averaging 2.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in her first two seasons, senior forward Mickayla Ivy had a breakout year in 2020-21. She started all 17 contests, averaged 9.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 50% from the field and was an All-ECC Second Team selection. This season, Ivy has started all 26 contests, was named to the All-ECC Third Team, and is third on the team in both points per game (9.6) and rebounds per game (5.9) and has finished in double-figure scoring 14 times, including in 13 of Daemen’s last 22 contests.

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Daemen has held 58 of its last 70 opponents to 65 points or less, posting a 53-5 record in those games. The Wildcats were among the best defensive teams in the country in 2020-21, ranking third nationally in both field goal percentage defense (.325) and scoring defense (51.6).

Daemen has posted a 71-14 record in their last 85 games, a span that dates back to mid-January of 2019. The Wildcats have won 12 of their 18 regular season, non-conference games in that time.

Daemen welcomes just two newcomers to the roster this season. Junior guard Sarah Cloutier is a transfer from NAIA affiliate Southeastern where she appeared in 38 games over two seasons while helping the Fire post a 53-6 record. Guard Sydney Hvizdzak is the lone freshmen on Daemen’s roster. She comes to the Wildcats after earning All-Western New York honors last winter when she averaged 26.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game while leading Randolph to the Section VI Class C title game. Hvizdzak is one of only 15 women in Section VI history to surpass 2,000 career points.

One of their strengths in recent seasons, Daemen is 8-0 this season when converting 10 or more three-pointers in a single contest. When accomplishing this feat, the Wildcats have also won their last 26 contests since the 2017-18 season. The last time they lost despite making 10+ threes in a game was a 68-64 defeat versus Gannon on November 28, 2017 in Lumsden Gymnasium.

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OFFENSIVE EXPLOSIONS

After averaging 59.8 points in their first five games of the season, the Wildcats broke out offensively with three consecutive wins in conference play in December. It started Dec. 8 when they canned 18 three-pointers on 32 attempts (.563 shooting %) during an 83-46 romp over Roberts Wesleyan in what was the teams’ first meeting since last season’s East Regional finals. Sydney Hvizdzak (5-8, 15 points), Tiara Filbert (4-4, 16 points), Katie Titus (4-5, 16 points) and Kaytlyn Matz (3-7, 9 points) all made multiple three-pointers in the win. Then, on Dec. 12, the Wildcats erupted again during a 97-83 win over Bridgeport. It marked their first game with 95+ points since a 96-84 win over LIU Post on Jan. 25, 2017. Titus scored a career-high 38 points on 15-of-22 shooting, matching the highest individual scoring effort of the program’s NCAA Division II era. Filbert, who shares the record, chipped in 20 points and nine rebounds. Then, on Dec. 17, the Wildcats made timely shots down the stretch in a 76-59 victory over Staten Island, the first meeting in program history. Titus recorded her sixth double-double of the season (26 points, 16 rebounds) as one of four Wildcat players to finish in double-figure scoring.  Kaytlyn Matz set new career-highs in made three-point field goals (5) and attempts (11) as part of a 16-point night plus seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Mickayla Ivy added 10 points and seven rebounds and Autumn Buchsenschutz scored eight of her 11 points in the second half alone, including 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc. 

After a 28-day absence due to the NCAA-mandated holiday break and the postponement of four consecutive games related to COVID-19 protocols, Daemen returned to the hardwood with a 61-58 victory over Molloy on Jan. 14 at Lumsden Gymnasium. The Lions scored 11 straight points to fuel a 17-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. Daemen found its shooting rhythm in the second quarter and cut the deficit to as much as four points (26-22.) Molloy went into the break with a 28-23 lead. By scoring the final seven points of the third and another 10 unanswered points at the start of the fourth, the Wildcats scored a total of 17 unanswered points to take a 54-47 lead. A Daemen scoring drought gave the Lions a chance to make this a one-possession game (54-51) with just over three minutes to play. Molloy converted two free-throws with 1:34 left to make the score 55-53 Daemen, which remained the score until Filbert's two free-throws with 15 seconds left.  Molloy drained a three-pointer with three seconds left to make this a one-point game (59-58), but Daemen again converted two free throws to close out the scoring. Tiara Filbert finished with a team-high 20 points in the victory.

On Jan. 16, Daemen extended their winning ways with an 80-43 victory over Queens College to record their 28th consecutive regular season victory in ECC play at Lumsden Gymnasium, dating back to the start of the 2017-18 season. Daemen held a 14-2 lead halfway through the first quarter and took a 24-4 lead into the second quarter. The lead ballooned to 32 points, 41-9, late in the second quarter and the hosts took a 48-15 lead into intermission before maintaining a comfortable lead throughout the second half. Freshman Sydney Hvizdzak connected on 4-of-8 three-pointers and scored a season-high 18 points for the Wildcats in just 18 minutes of action off the bench while senior Katie Titus added 13 points and six rebounds. Daemen converted 10 three-point shots, the fourth time in a five-game stretch that the Wildcats  made 10 or more in a game. Daemen also registered 23 assists, the third time in a five-game stretch where the blue-and-white handed out 20 or more assists in a game (season-high 25 vs. Roberts Wesleyan on 12/9/21).

 

Behind a pair of double-figure scorers – 21 points from senior Katie Titus and 11 points from redshirt senior Tiara Filbert – and quality contributions from fellow veteran play-makers, the regionally-ranked Wildcats recorded a sixth consecutive win and their eighth in their last 10 contests following a 64-48 victory against St. Thomas Aquinas on Jan. 21 in an East Coast Conference matchup held at Aquinas Hall. Sophomore guard Kaytlyn Matz, junior forward Marina Maerkl and sophomore guard Alahna Paige added nine points apiece in the victory. Matz also had a team-high four assists and tied with Paige for the team lead in rebounds (8.) In addition to finishing in double-figure scoring for the seventh straight contest (10th time this season), Titus recorded a season-high four blocks and went a perfect 6-of-6 at the free-throw line. The victory marked just the second time Daemen defeated STAC at Aquinas Hall in program history. The first victory came in a 79-73 overtime thriller on February 11, 2016.

BATTLE OF THE UNBEATENS

On Jan. 23, Daemen went down to Dobbs Ferry to face fellow ECC unbeaten Mercy and returned to Main Street with a 55-51 win and first place in the conference standings. The Wildcats turned an early 14-2 deficit into a 28-6 run over the final 14:10 of the first half. Redshirt senior Tiara Filbert (Batavia, N.Y.) led the Wildcats offensively by scoring 10 of her game-high 18 points in the first half alone and tied her season-high in assists (6) for the third time this season. As a result, Filbert passed Joanna Daugenti ’05 for 13th place in career scoring. This marked the second time this season where Daemen won a contest after scoring less than 60 points (Angelo State, Nov. 19, 2021.)  This is also the 13th time Daemen has accomplished this feat since the Jenepher Banker era began in the 2016-17 campaign. The Wildcats have now won 12 straight in the series and nine of the last 10 meetings in Victory Hall. Daemen leads the all-time series, 15-2.

COMEBACK KIDS

On Feb. 2, Daemen came away with a late 73-68 win at Roberts Wesleyan for a 20th consecutive regular season conference victory dating back to the start of last season. The Redhawks held a 64-58 lead with just over four minutes left. That’s when redshirt senior Tiara Filbert and fellow veterans Katie Titus and Mickayla Ivy took over and led the Wildcats on an 11-2 run.  Ivy sparked the run with back-to-back buckets and her jumper with 1:30 left capped the run and gave the visitors a 69-66 lead. Filbert hit a pull up three-pointer during the rally, while Titus gave the Wildcats the lead for good (67-66) with 2:01 left. Filbert helped seal the deal with four free-throws – all within the last 20 seconds of the contest. Filbert totaled a season-high 22 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out a season-high seven assists. Titus scored 16 points and has now scored in double figures in 12 straight games. Ivy added eight points and equaled her season-high with 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Alahna Paige went 3-of-4 from downtown and finished with a season-high 13 points while freshman guard Sydney Hvizdzak drilled three three-pointers (11 points total) in 15 minutes off the bench. Daemen has now prevailed in 10 of the last 11 meetings with RWC (50-25 all-time.)

Women’s Basketball Ranked 9th In Final NCAA Regional Rankings

AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen College is the No. 9 team in the official NCAA Division II East Region rankings for women's basketball which were released this afternoon. It marks the last of three polls that will be released by the Regional Advisory Committee. The NCAA announces 10-team rankings for each of the eight regions across the country for three successive weeks leading up to the NCAA Championship selection announcement, which will be made this year on Sunday, March 6.

The East Region of NCAA Division II is comprised of teams from the East Coast Conference, the Northeast-10 Conference and the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. The eight-team NCAA Championships East Regional—one of eight regional tournaments that comprise the 64-team NCAA tournament—will consist of three automatic berths and five at-large selections, and it takes place March 11-14 at a site that has yet to be determined.

Southern New Hampshire University (21-6) of the Northeast-10 sits atop the NCAA Regional poll for the third straight week, while Chestnut Hill College (23-5), University of the Sciences (22-4), Pace University (21-7) and Le Moyne College (17-6) round out the top five. The bottom five consists of Thomas Jefferson University (22-7), Bentley University (17-8), Stonehill College (15-8), Daemen (18-4) and Saint Anselm College (15-13).

Under the guidance of sixth-year head coach Jenepher Banker, the Wildcats have posted an 18-4 overall record so far this season, as well as a 16-1 mark in ECC play. Daemen owns a 17-3 in-region record this season and a 0-2 mark against teams included in this week's regional rankings—having lost two tight games to No. 9 Saint Anselm (75-70) and No. 8 Stonehill (68-66) back in November. The Wildcats were scheduled to play No. 5 Le Moyne  and No. 7 Bentley, but those games were canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.

Daemen has won 16 of its last 17 games. The Wildcats clinched their third consecutive ECC regular season title with a 71-54 win last Thursday at Molloy College and ended the regular season Saturday with a 65-39 rout of Queens College (N.Y.). The Wildcats have held 55 of their last 66 opponents to 65 points or less and are 50-5 in those contests. 

Daemen, which leads the ECC in both scoring offense (69.8 ppg) and defense (55.7 papg), enters the postseason as the No. 1 seed in this week's ECC Championship tournament. The tournament's semifinal (Saturday, March 5) and final (Sunday, March 6) will be held this weekend at Lumsden Gymnasium on Daemen's campus. The Wildcats await the winner of tonight's first round matchup between fourth-seeded Roberts Wesleyan College and fifth-seeded Mercy College. 

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