AMHERST, N.Y. – Senior guard
Alahna Paige (Rochester, N.Y.) led the Daemen University women's basketball team with 28 points in Daemen's 60-50 East Coast Conference victory over Molloy University on Friday night. With the win, the Wildcats move to 11-5 on the year and 6-1 in ECC play, while Molloy drops to 8-9 on the season and 3-4 in conference games.
It was a back-and-forth game from the jump, but Daemen turned up the heat in the first half of the fourth quarter to come away with the 10-point victory over the Lions and extend their win streak over Molloy to nine games. The ECC leading Wildcats have won 21 straight games at Lumsden Gymnasium, a streak that the fifth-longest home win streak in NCAA Division II women's basketball.
Daemen never trailed in the game, though it did get close a few times. The Wildcats shot 37% (22-of-59) from the field on the day and banked just four-of-17 three pointers, while knocking down all 12 shots from the free point line. Daemen held Molloy to 30% from the field (19-of-63) and out-rebounded the Lions 47 to 37 in the victory.
The Wildcats will host Queens College on Sunday, Jan. 28 in a noon match up.
IMPACT PLAYERS
- As the leading scorer in the ECC, Paige led the Wildcats offensively for the 11th game this season with her seventh 20-point outing. The senior guard shot 45% (9-of-20) from the field and banked one triple and all nine shots from the charity stripe on the day. Paige added five defensive boards, one assist and one steal.
- Stellar sophomore forward Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) finished shooting 55% (6-of-11) from the field 1-of-2 from beyond the arc for 14 points on the night. She added four rebounds – including two offensive boards – along with one assist and one block.
- Senior forward Kaytlyn Matz (Johnsburg, Ill.) totaled eight points after shooting 50% (3-of-6) from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Matz pulled down three defensive boards and one assist.
- Seniors Gabby McDuffie (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Natalie Angeletti (Panama, N.Y.) along with freshman guard Sophie Auer (Lewiston, N.Y.) each tallied seven rebounds in the win. McDuffie and Angeletti pulled down two offensive boards, while Auer snagged seven defensive rebounds.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- After trading points throughout the first seven minutes of the first, the Wildcats scored seven unanswered points late in the quarter to take a 16-12 lead into the second. Paige led the way offensively with seven first-quarter points after shooting 3-of-4 from the field.
- Much like the beginning of the first quarter, the Wildcats and Lions traded points back and forth to open the second. Both teams went on a scoring drought in the final two minutes of the quarter, save for a foul in the final 0.3 seconds of the quarter that led to a pair of free throws at the half. The Wildcats led Molloy 28-21 after two quarters, outscoring the Lions 12-9 in the second.
- Paige totaled 15 first-half points, scoring eight of Daemen's 12 points in the second.
- Daemen opened the fourth on a 7-5 run to take a 33-28 lead, but after the Lions scored five straight to tie the game up, the Wildcats and Lions took turns dropping buckets to the end of the quarter. Molloy outscored Daemen 16-12 in the third, but a late McDuffie jumper put the Wildcats up 40-37 at the end of three quarters.
- The Wildcats went on a 12-6 run in the first five minutes of the fourth to take a nine-point lead over the Lions, and they maintained that lead throughout the rest of the game, leading by as much as 11 in the final minutes.
- Daemen extends their win streak over Molloy to nine straight games.
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.
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