Women's Basketball Opens Conference Play Against Redhawks On Saturday

11/30/2023 10:02:00 AM

By: CONTACT: Mary Margaret Johnson, Assistant Athletics Communications Director | mmjohnso@daemen.edu

HOME, SWEET HOME
The Daemen University women's basketball team returns to Lumsden Gymnasium this weekend for their final home game of 2023 as they open up East Coast Conference play with a 2 PM match up against longtime rival Roberts Wesleyan. The Wildcats enter ECC play with a 3-3 record in non-conference games, while the Redhawks come in with a 2-3 overall record and a 0-1 record in ECC action so far this season.

A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
The Wildcats took a trip to sunny Florida where they dropped a pair of games against Sunshine State Conference opponents Palm Beach Atlantic and Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale, Florida over the Thanksgiving weekend. In Friday's match up with the Sailfish, Daemen's three-game win streak was snapped after PBA outscored Daemen 20 to 8 in the second quarter and never relinquished the lead, topping the Wildcats 63-52. Senior guard Alahna Paige (Rochester, N.Y.) and sophomore forward Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) each tallied double-digit points, with Paige totaling a game-high 17 points and Pikett finishing with 11 points. On Saturday, the Wildcats and Sharks of Nova Southeastern played close throughout the game, but a big fourth quarter by Nova was the difference in the 71-63 game despite a late comeback by the Cats. Paige led the team with 16 points, followed by senior guard Gabby McDuffie (Buffalo, N.Y.) who dropped 15 points and Pikett who tallied 10 points in the loss.

CAT DYNASTY
Over the last four seasons, the Wildcats have posted an overall record of 79-18 and a 51-7 record in ECC play while picking up four consecutive ECC regular season titles and three of four ECC Tournament titles. Daemen has been a staple in the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament for the past four seasons, coming home with the hardware of winning the 2021 East Region Championship and advancing to the regional championship game in 2022. The three seniors -- Angeletti, Matz and Paige -- have earned conference championship rings in each of their three seasons with the Wildcats and have never played on a losing team at Daemen.

DEFEND HOME COURT
The Wildcats have a serious home court advantage at Lumsden Gymnasium. Since the 2018-19 season, Daemen owns a 52-6 overall record on their home court, including two seasons of undefeated play at home (2019-20, 2022-23). The Cats have won 16 straight home games, including conference playoff games, and haven't lost at home since Feb. 18, 2022 when they fell to St. Thomas Aquinas, marking their only ECC loss in the 2021-22 season.

PRESEASON POLL
The back-to-back defending East Coast Conference champion Wildcats were picked second in the 2023 ECC Preseason Coaches Poll. Daemen was narrowly edged out by St. Thomas Aquinas College for the top spot in the poll for the second-straight year. Daemen and St. Thomas Aquinas both collected four first-place votes, but STAC earned 75 total points to claim the preseason No. 1 ranking. The Wildcats totaled 74 total points. The University of the District of Columbia (59) earned one first place vote and finished third, just ahead of Mercy (55) in fourth. D'Youville University (42) made the move from last place in last year's poll to fifth place this year. The remainder of the poll consists of Queens College (37), the College of Staten Island (27), Molloy University (19) and Roberts Wesleyan University (17). The Wildcats are the four-time defending ECC regular season champions and have claimed the ECC Tournament title in three of the past four years (2020, 22, 23).

UP NEXT
The Wildcats will be on the road for the remainder of December, traveling next weekend to play conference games at Molloy and Queens on Dec. 8 and 10, respectively. Daemen wraps up 2023 with a Dec. 30 game at Saint Michael's in Colchester, Vermont.

THE REDHAWKS
Roberts Wesleyan comes into Saturday's match up with a 2-3 overall record and 0-1 in ECC play. Like the Wildcats, the Redhawks are riding a two-game losing streak, dropping matches to Mercyhurst and D'Youville. The Saints upended the Redhawks 54-51 on Wednesday night despite a late comeback by Roberts. With eight returners from last season's team that went 4-19 and 3-13 in ECC play, the Redhawks are led offensively by graduate guard Georgia Haverlock who averages a team-high 15.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Redshirt sophomore guard Marianna Freeman and senior guard Danielle DiCinto add depth and experience for the Redhawks offensively, with Freeman averaging 14 ppg and DiCinto adding 13.2 ppg while leading the team with 23 assists (4.6 assists per game) on the year.

SERIES HISTORY
Daemen's longest rival, the Wildcats own a 53-25 overall record over the Redhawks. The Wildcats have won the last six matchups, and 13 of the last 14 games played against Roberts.

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 University women's basketball program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenWBB.

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