ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Daemen University women's basketball team dropped their season opener in a 59-55 decision to Felician University in the first game of the Redhawks Classic. The Wildcats open the season 0-1 for the third time in four years with the loss in the tournament but will look to rebound tomorrow in their matchup with Assumption University at 2:30 PM.
Three Wildcats scored in the double-digit with junior guard
Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) leading the way with 11 points in the loss. Daemen shot 32.9% from the field (23-of-70) and made just two triples on the day. Felician was 37.7% (20-of-53) from the field and 30% (3-of-10) beyond the arc.
IMPACT PLAYERS
- Pikett shot 40% on the day, making 4-of-10 from the field and was one of two players to make a three, going 1-of-4 beyond the arc. Pikett led the team with 11 points and pulled down four rebounds while tallying two blocks and an assist.
- Sophomore guard Sophie Auer (Lewiston, N.Y.) totaled 10 points after shooting 30.7% (4-of-13) from the field and leading the team with seven rebounds. She pulled down a team-high five offensive boards and added one assist and one steal.
- Junior forward Cecilia Lapertosa (Whitesboro, N.Y.) finished with 10 points and led the team with a 41.6% shooting percentage after going 5-of-12 from the field. Lapertosa tied Auer with a team-high seven rebounds and led the way with a team-high three blocks, two steals and two assists.
- Junior guard Shyla Montgomery (Brockton, Mass.) totaled nine points after shooting 3-of-12 from the field and led the team with six steals while adding three assists and two rebounds.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Wildcats and Golden Falcons traded points throughout the first quarter, and after shooting 6-of-14 from the field, Daemen led 15-12 after the first 10 minutes of play. Five Wildcat players tallied points in the quarter, with Lapertosa and Montgomery each totaling four.
- As in the first quarter, Felician and Daemen were both balanced in scoring with neither team pulling away in the second. The Golden Falcons narrowly outscored the Wildcats 13-10 in the quarter after finishing out the first half with back-to-back baskets to tie the game up at 25 at the half. Pikett led the Wildcats with seven first-half points after shooting 50% (3-of-6) from the field and was the only Daemen player to bank a triple in the first half. The Wildcats shot 32% from the field in the first two quarters, going 11-of-34.
- The third quarter continued on with both teams scoring one after the other. The Wildcats outscored Felician 16-15 in the third after going 7-of-16 from the field led by a pair of six point outings from Auer and Ne'vaeh Buntley (Rochester, N.Y.). Daemen led 41-40 after three quarters.
- The Golden Falcons led by as much as four in the final quarter, but twice the Wildcats tied the game up and knotted it up at 50 with 3 minutes left. Felician led for the rest of the game despite a late comeback from the Wildcats to bring the game within one with 40 seconds to go, but the Golden Falcons banked a layup with 20 seconds left and held the Cats defensively in the final seconds of the game. With the 58-55 loss, the Wildcats fall against Felician for the first time in program history.
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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