Game #20
Daemen Wildcats (15-4, 10-3 ECC) vs. St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans (17-6, 9-3 ECC)
Date: Friday, Feb. 16
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium
Live Stream: via
ECC Network
Live Stats: via
daemenwildcats.com
Tickets
Game #21
Daemen Wildcats (15-4, 10-3 ECC) vs. Mercy Mavericks (15-7, 9-3 ECC)
Date: Sunday, Feb. 18
Time: 12 PM
Location: Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium
Live Stream: via
ECC Network
Live Stats: via
daemenwildcats.com
Tickets
TIP-OFF
The Daemen University women's basketball team comes a big weekend of East Coast Conference hoops as the Wildcats play host to St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday evening at 5:30 PM and Mercy at noon on Sunday afternoon. Daemen comes into the weekend riding a five-game winning streak and boasts a 15-4 record and 10-3 in the ECC. The Spartans are 17-6 overall and 9-3 in conference play, while the Mavericks are 15-7 overall and 9-3 in ECC games.
CONFERENCE STANDINGS
This weekend is important for seeding for the ECC tournament. After Daemen beat Roberts Wesleyan and Mercy topped St. Thomas Aquinas last week, the 10-3 Wildcats moved into first place in the ECC with a half-game lead over Mercy and STAC, who both are 9-3 in conference and both sit in second place in the league. Six teams get into the playoffs, while the top two seeds have first round byes (March 1-2). The top seed will host the ECC semifinals and championship games which will be held on March 3-4.
DAEMEN (10-3) 3 games left to play
Mercy (9-3) 4 games left to play
St. Thomas Aquinas (9-3) 4 games left to play
Dist. of Columbia (8-6) 2 games left to play
D'Youville (7-6) 3 games left to play *Ineligible for postseason play
Queens (5-8) 3 games left to play
Staten Island (5-9) 2 games left to play
Molloy (4-10) 2 games left to play
Roberts Wesleyan (2-11) 3 games left to play
LAST WEEK
The Wildcats posted a 32-point victory over longtime rival Roberts Wesleyan last Wednesday, topping the Redhawks 65-33 in a game that Daemen broke a program for fewest amount of points scored in the NCAA era (2015-present). The Wildcat defense held Roberts to just nine first half points, including holding the Redhawks scoreless for 13 minutes of game play. Daemen shot 44-percent from the field (24-of-55) and 28-percent from beyond the arc (5-of-18) and scored 34 points off 24 turnovers committed by the Redhawks. In Daemen's last five games, the Cats have outscored opponents by an average of 27 points, including last week's season-high 32-point win.
D-D-D-DEFENSE
Daemen's defense has been outstanding in the 2022-23 season, and they are getting national recognition for their gameplay. After being ranked No. 7 in scoring defense in Division II for the majority of the season, after the last few games in which Daemen has allowed their opponents to score an average of 48 points, the Wildcats moved up to No. 5 in D-II for scoring defense. On the season, the Wildcats' are giving up an average of 53.2 points per game. The Wildcats are averaging almost five more rebounds per game than their opponents (38.4 to 33.7), out-stealing opponents 10 to 7, and out-blocking opponents 3.4 to 2.5.
PAIGE WITH THE POINTS
Junior guard
Alahna Paige (Rochester, N.Y.) led all shooters at Roberts with 12 points after shooting 50-percent (4-of-8) from the field and 2-of-5 from beyond the arc. Paige tallied four defensive rebounds, two assists and a steal. She has put up double-digit points in four of the last five games, and 11 games total this season. On the year, the guard ranks second on the team in scoring (184), averaging 9.7 points per game and shooting 45-percent from the field (67-of-15) and 39-percent from beyond the arc (24-of-61). Paige has picked up her three-point scoring lately, knocking down a three in each of the last six games, including two in games against Queens and Roberts Wesleyan and a season-high four three-pointers in the Wildcats' last matchup against Molloy.
POLL POSITION
The Wildcats were ranked fifth in the East Region in the final Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) Women's Basketball Regional Poll of the year. Daemen has been ranked in 47 straight regional polls, dating back to early January 2019. The first NCAA regional poll was released on Wednesday, but the Wildcats were not listed as as one of the 10 teams under consideration in the East Region. St. Thomas Aquinas, who was ranked No. 7 in the D2SIDA poll, was the only ECC team that is under consideration in the NCAA regional poll.
TEAM IMPACT
Friday night marks the annual
Team IMPACT appreciation game for the Daemen women's basketball team. All six Team IMPACT children matched with Daemen athletics teams will be celebrated and introduced at the game. Before the game, the kids will be involved in Daemen's warm ups, and they will be a part of the starting lineup introductions. Team IMPACT is a national non-profit connecting children facing serious illness and disability with a local collegiate athletic team, and after which the child, to the fullest extent, becomes an official member of the team by attending games, practices, and other team activities. You can learn more about Team IMPACT
here.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will host D'Youville in the final regular season game of the season on Saturday, Feb. 25 for Senior Night. The Wildcats will also be honoring the four Daemen alumni that are being inducted into the 2023 Hall of Fame on Saturday, with Samantha Engel and Mackenzie Donahue being announced at halftime of the women's game and former Daemen men's basketball players Gerald Beverly and Dr. Gabriel Marshall announced at halftime of the men's game.
SCOUTING THE ST. THOMAS AQUINAS SPARTANS
The Spartans come into Friday night's big matchup with a 17-6 overall record after their six game win streak was snapped by Mercy last Wednesday in a 65-53 loss at the Mavericks' Victory Gym. In the first matchup between the Spartans and Wildcats, STAC handed Daemen their first loss of the year, ending the Wildcats' perfect start to the season with a heartbreaking 66-65 overtime loss. The Wildcats shot 34-percent from the field, 33-percent from beyond the arc, and a measly 35-percent from the free throw line, making just 6-of-17 from the stripe in what was the difference in the game. On the season, the Spartans are led by a pair of sophomores in forward
Erin Leary and guard
Sarah Ericson. Leary averages 14.5 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per game, while Ericson totals 12.5 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game. Leary is shooting 45.8-percent from the field and 33.3-percent from beyond the arc, and Ericson tallies 40.7-percent from the field and a team-high 36.7-percent from three-point land.
SERIES RECORD VS. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
All-Time Record: 13-7 STAC
Home Record: 5-5
Conference Record: 12-7 STAC
Streak: W2, STAC
Last Meeting: 66 STAC 65 Daemen -- OT | Dec. 9, 2022 | Sparkill, N.Y.
SCOUTING THE MERCY MAVERICKS
The Mavericks have won 10 of their last 11 games, including last Wednesday's big 65-53 win over STAC, and come into Sunday's matchup with a 15-7 overall record. The last time Daemen and Mercy squared up, the Wildcats trailed for the first three quarters but put together a 29-point fourth quarter to beat the Mavs 78-62 on Dec. 11 and get back into the win column after their overtime loss to STAC. In the first go-around this season, four Daemen players tallied double-digit points, with junior guard
Gabby McDuffie knocking down a career-high 19 points against the Mavericks. On the season, Mercy has fought off opponents by winning close games, and averages 61 points per game compared to 58 for their opponents. The Mavericks are led by senior guard
Katie Wall who totals 321 points on the season and averages 14.6 ppg, and graduate student guard
Taysha Bender who is putting up 10.9 points per game to total 239 points on the year. Six Mavericks average 4 or more rebounds per game, while Wall and Bender both have totaled 41 steals on the year.
SERIES RECORD VS. MERCY
All-Time Record: 17-2 Daemen
Home Record: 7-1 Daemen
Conference Record: 17-2 Daemen
Streak: W14, Daemen
Last Meeting: 78 Daemen 62 Mercy | Dec. 11, 2022 | Dobbs Ferry, 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.
