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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
A_Paige_2023-24vsSTAC
Geoff Schneider
64
St. Thomas Aquinas STA 14-10,8-4 ECC
68
Winner Daemen Daemen 15-6,10-2 ECC
St. Thomas Aquinas STA
14-10,8-4 ECC
64
Final
68
Daemen Daemen
15-6,10-2 ECC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
St. Thomas Aquinas STA 14 14 20 16 64
Daemen Daemen 12 19 24 13 68

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | CONTACT: Tom McDermott, Director of Athletics Communications | tmcdermo@daemen.edu

Paige Nets 36 Points To Lead Wildcats To Big 68-64 Win Over Spartans

Daemen Maintains Its Hold On First Place In The ECC Standings

AMHERST, N.Y. – Senior Alahna Paige (Rochester, N.Y.) scored a career-high 36 points to lead the Daemen University women's basketball team to a 68-64 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas College this evening at Lumsden Gymnasium on the Daemen campus.

Daemen, which entered the game ranked eighth in the East Region by the Division II College Sports Communicators (D2CSC), improved to 15-6 overall and 10-2 in the East Coast Conference. STAC, which is receiving votes in the D2CSC regional poll, dropped to 14-10 overall and 8-4 in the league. Daemen maintained its hold on first place in the ECC standings with four games left in the regular season.

IMPACT PLAYERS
  • Paige, who entered the game 46 points shy of 1,000 for her career, played all 40 minutes and went 11-of-26 from the field overall, 7-of-16 from downtown and a perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line. The 36 points was two shy of Daemen's NCAA Division II era (2015-present) record for points in a game held by Katie Titus and Tiara Filbert. It marked the third time this season that Paige has scored 30 or more points in game. She is averaging a league-high 21.6 points per game.
  • Paige has made a league-high 74 three-pointers this season, which ranks as the third most in a season in program history, behind only Angela Tylec (75) and program-record holder Raeann Stilwell (77).
  • Sophomore Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) helped the Daemen cause with 14 points, five rebounds and two blocks.
  • Junior Sarah Ericson, the preseason ECC Player of the Year, totaled 19 points, 19 rebounds and four assists for the Spartans, while junior Erin Leary added 14 points and nine boards.

GAME NOTES
  • The game was a rematch of last year's ECC Tournament champion game in which Daemen posted a 66-51 win at Lumsden Gym. Daemen has prevailed in seven of the last eight meetings at Lumsden Gymnasium, but STAC owns a 14-10 advantage in the all-time series.
  • Daemen has won 23-straight home games dating back to the 2021-22 season, which ranks as the sixth longest home court winning streak among all Division II programs.
  • Daemen scored the first seven points of the game and later took an 11-2 lead after Pikett scored with 5:25 left in the first quarter. STAC closed out the quarter with a 12-1 run and the visitors took a 14-12 lead into the second quarter.
  • STAC increased its lead to seven points, 22-15, after junior Emily Strunk made two free throws with 5:35 left before halftime. Daemen scored the next seven points to tie the game at 22-22 and the hosts later regained the lead, 28-16, after Paige hit a corner three-pointer with 35 seconds left in the half. Leary tied the game with 12 seconds left and Paige hit a buzzer-beating triple to give the Wildcats a 31-28 halftime lead.
  • Daemen held a 37-32 lead three minutes into the third quarter, but a triple by Ericson sparked the Spartans on a 10-4 run that gave the visitors a 42-41 lead. The Spartans held a 45-44 lead with just under two minutes left in the third quarter, but Paige drilled three three-pointers during a quarter-ending 11-3 run to give the hosts a 55-48 lead after three. She capped the quarter with yet another buzzer-beating triple.
  • Daemen took a 57-50 lead early in the final frame, but the Spartans scored 11 unanswered points and took a 61-57 lead following a conventional three-point play by sophomore Trinity Cheatom with 5:57 left to play. Daemen scored the next seven points and took a 64-61 lead following a putback by Pikett with 1:24 left. STAC answered with a bucket by freshman Bailey Chapman, and the score remained 64-63 until Paige made two free throws with 19 seconds left. Ericson was off the mark with a three-pointer at the other end and Paige made two more free throws with nine seconds left to secure the win.
  • Daemen shot 50-percent (7-for-114) in the second quarter and finished 24-for-64 (38%) from the field overall. The Wildcats connected on 9-of-24 three-pointers and made 11-of-17 from the charity stripe.
  • STAC finished 23-of-62 (37%) from the field overall and made just 6-of-23 from downtown. The Spartans canned 12-of-15 from the charity stripe.
     
NEXT JUMP BALL
Daemen returns to action Sunday (Feb. 18) when it hosts Mercy University in another key ECC game. Mercy improved to 15-8 overall and 8-4 in the ECC following a 70-65 win at D'Youville University tonight.
 

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.
 
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