Skip To Main Content

Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
Gabby McDuffie action
65
Daemen DAEMEN 14-6, 9-2
71
Winner Dist. Columbia DIST. CO 15-8, 7-4
Daemen DAEMEN
14-6, 9-2
65
Final
71
Dist. Columbia DIST. CO
15-8, 7-4
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Daemen DAEMEN 9 17 17 22 65
Dist. Columbia DIST. CO 16 19 17 19 71

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | CONTACT: Mary Margaret Johnson, Assistant Athletics Communications Director | mmjohnso@daemen.edu

High-Powered Firebird Offense Tops Wildcats 71-65

WASHINGTON, D.C. – For the second straight season, the Daemen University women's basketball team falls to District of Columbia on the road, falling 71-65 to the Firebirds on Sunday afternoon. With the loss, the Wildcats move to 14-6 on the year and 9-2 in East Coast Conference play and snap a seven-game win streak. UDC improves to 15-8 overall and 7-4 in ECC action.
 
It was a battle between the ECC's top ranked defense in the Wildcats and the top offensive unit in the conference in the Firebirds this afternoon, and from the jump, the offensive firepower from UDC proved tough to stop in the first half. The Wildcats mounted back-to-back comebacks in the end of the second and third quarters, but the fourth quarter was a race to the finish between these two high-powered teams. Daemen brought the game within two points with five minutes left, but the Firebirds outscored the Cats 10-7 down the stretch after tallying four layups.
 
UDC's top weapon Destiny Ryles led all players with 26 points and was the only Firebird to score in the double-digits on the day. A trio of Wildcats scored in the double figures in the loss, with senior guard Alahna Paige (Rochester, N.Y.) leading the way with 17. Daemen shot 38% (24-of-63) from the field and knocked down just 5 of 26 (19%) from beyond the arc. In their home gym, the Firebirds shot 40% (25-of-62) from the field and decimated the Wildcats on the fast break, outscoring Daemen 20-6.
 
The Wildcats return to Lumsden Gymnasium next weekend as they host St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday, Feb. 16 and Mercy on Sunday, Feb. 18.
 
IMPACT PLAYERS
  • Paige played all 40 minutes for the Wildcats and shot 5-of-18 from the field, with four of those buckets coming from triples (4-of-14 from beyond the arc). One of the league's top free throw shooters, the senior knocked down just 3-of-7 from the charity stripe. She added three rebounds and four assists in the loss.
  • Sophomore forward Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) continues her hot streak with 15 points after shooting 54% (6-of-11) from the field and knocking down one three and both free throws. She tallied seven rebounds – including three offensive boards – and tallied a block on the day.
  • Senior guard Gabby McDuffie (Buffalo, N.Y.) totaled 11 points after shooting 36% (4-of-11) from the field and adding three free throws. She pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and added a steal.
  • Junior forward Julia Hauer played just 14 total minutes but finished with eight points after going 3-of-5 from the field while adding three rebounds, three assists and one steal.
  • Sophomores Cecilia Lapertosa (Whitesboro, N.Y.) and Shyla Montgomery (Brockton, Mass.) each finished with six points. Lapertosa went 3-of-3 from the field and totaled six rebounds, two assists and a block while Montgomery went 2-of-5 from the field and knocked down both free throws while tallying a team-high five steals and added four rebounds, two assists and one block.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • The Wildcats had a tough time connecting baskets in the first quarter, shooting just 4-of-16 through the first 10 minutes of play and making just one triple, while the Firebirds went 7-of-17 from the field to outscore Daemen 16-9 after one quarter.
  • Daemen opened the second with a pair of free throws to make it a five-point game, but through the middle of the second, UDC scored 15 unanswered points, leading by as much as 19 points with 4:44 left in the first half. Daemen went on a 14-2 run to end the second quarter, bringing this game within nine, 35-26, at the half.
  • The Firebirds opened the third on a hot start extending the lead to 18 after the first four minutes, but yet again the Wildcats went on a run to end the quarter down by nine, 52-43. Well-balanced attacks from both teams led Daemen and UDC to each scored 17 points in the third quarter.
  • Daemen and UDC traded baskets back and forth to open the fourth quarter, but a trio of layups on a 9-0 Daemen run brought the game within two, 61-59. The Firebirds extended the lead to six after a pair of UDC free throws and a layup. District of Columbia outscored Daemen 10-7 down the stretch to win the game.
  • The Wildcats out-rebounded UDC 45 to 38, pulling down 13 offensive boards.
  • Daemen has fallen at UDC in each of the past two seasons.
Print Friendly Version