Geoff Schneider

Women's Basketball Hits The Road For ECC Games At Staten Island, District of Columbia

2/8/2024 12:04:00 PM

By: CONTACT: Mary Margaret Johnson, Assistant Athletics Communications Director | mmjohnso@daemen.edu

BACK AT IT
The Daemen University women's basketball team hits the road this weekend for a pair of East Coast Conference games, first taking on Staten Island on Friday night in a 5:30 PM match up before heading to the nation's capital on Sunday for a matinee 1 PM game at District of Columbia. The Wildcats come into the weekend as the league leaders with an 8-1 ECC record after going 13-5 on the year. Staten Island is 7-13 overall and 4-6 in ECC play, currently sitting sixth in the league, while UDC enters with a 6-3 conference record, good for third in the ECC, and a 14-7 overall record.

CAREER DAY
Daemen topped D'Youville 80-61 last Sunday afternoon in epic fashion, marking a career day for a pair of Wildcats. Head coach Jenepher Banker notched her 200th career win as a head coach, while senior guard Alahna Paige (Rochester, N.Y.) led the Wildcats offensively with a career-high 31 points. After a back-and-forth start to the first quarter, the Wildcats dominated for the final 30 minutes of the game, outscoring the Saints 60 to 46. Daemen shot exceptionally well beyond the arc, finishing 13-of-26 (50%) on the day beyond the arc. The Cats shot 44% (27-of-61) from the field and knocked down 13-of-15 from the free throw stripe. Four Daemen players finished with double-digit points. Paige led the Wildcats offensively for the 12th game this season with a career-high 31 points after shooting 42% (8-of-19) from the field, 46% (6-of-13) from beyond the arc and a perfect 9-of-9 from the charity stripe. The senior guard pulled down seven defensive rebounds and added three assists and two steals. Sophomore forward Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) totaled 14 points, shooting 71% (5-of-7) from the field and knocking down both triples. Pikett added five defensive rebounds and one block. Senior forward Natalie Angeletti (Panama, N.Y.) posted 10 points after shooting 4-of-8 (50%) from the field and going 2 for 2 beyond the arc. She led the Wildcats defensively with eight rebounds – including pulling down a team-high four o-boards – and tallied an assist. Sophomore guard Shyla Montgomery (Brockton, Mass.) posted a season-high 10 points after banking 4-of-5 from the field. She led the way with six assists and added two rebounds and a block. The East Coast Conference leading-Wildcats move to 13-5 on the season and 8-1 in ECC play on the year.

HIGH POWERED MATCH UP
Sunday's game between Daemen and UDC will be a battle between the top defense and offense in the ECC. The Wildcats lead the league defensively, allowing their opponents to score an ECC-low average of 58.3 points per game, while the Firebirds sit atop the ECC in scoring, averaging 69.6 points per game. The Wildcats are tied for second in the conference offensively (64.6 ppg). UDC owns the largest margin of victory in the ECC (6.4) and ranks sixth in the league in defense (63.2 ppg). Staten Island is ranked eighth in the ECC in both offense (59.8 ppg) and defense (64.9 ppg).

A LOTTA ALAHNA
Paige is having a career year in her senior campaign. The 5-foot-5 guard had led the ECC in scoring throughout the season, averaging 20.9 points per game, and is ranked fourth in the nation in points per game. She is currently tied for 10th in NCAA Division II women's basketball in three point percentage (44.4), and ranks sixth in the nation with 3.28 three pointers per game. The senior also ranks third in the league in field goal percentage (41.9), leads the ECC in free throw percentage (88.5), and ranks sixth in the league in assists (2.9 per game).

MOVING UP IN THE POLLS
The Wildcats moved up to eighth in the East Region in the Week 11 Division II College Sports Communicators (D2CSC) Regional Poll, released on Monday afternoon. The East Region consists of teams from the East Coast Conference, Northeast 10 Conference and the Central Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Wildcats were previously ranked ninth in the region. Daemen is the only ECC team in the top-10 in the East Region.

UP NEXT
Daemen will host St. Thomas Aquinas and Mercy next weekend at Lumsden Gymnasium. The Wildcats' Friday night match up with STAC will be the annual Play4Kay game. The Spartans are the only team to beat Daemen in conference play this season.

THE DOLPHINS
Picked as the No. 7 team in the ECC Coaches' Preseason Poll coming into the 2023-24 season, Staten Island started out the year hot, opening the year with a 5-2 record and 2-0 in ECC play after picking up conference victories over Molloy and Queens. The Dolphins went on a 2-11 streak in December and January, earning victories over Mercy and Roberts Wesleyan. Staten Island is coming off a 54-81 loss at D'Youville. CSI touts four 200+ point scorers this season, with junior forward Jenalyse Alarcon (11.3 ppg) leading the way. Sophomore guards Kyra Rose (10.5 ppg) Dana Phelan (10.3 ppg) and senior guard Ashley Lambert (10.3 ppg) provide additional support. Phelan is the biggest threat from deep, leading the team and ranking third in the ECC beyond the arc after shooting 37% (48-of-129) from three-point land. 5-foot-9 Alarcon is CSI's leading rebounder this season, averaging 7.2 boards per game.

SERIES HISTORY
The Wildcats have won all six games in the series history, topping the Dolphins 73-54 in the Jan. 12 matchup.

THE FIREBIRDS
Ranked third in the ECC preseason poll, UDC got off to a fast start, winning all 11 games easily to open the 2023-24 season with a perfect record. The Firebirds had a tough end to December and start to January, going on a five-game skid with four straight non-conference losses and an 80-61 loss at D'Youville on Jan. 12. Since the first matchup with Daemen was postponed for a later date due to inclement weather in Western New York, UDC has won three of their last five games, falling just short at STAC and Mercy in the end of January. The Firebirds picked up an 87-56 win over Roberts Wesleyan last weekend. As the top scoring offense in the ECC, UDC averages 69.6 points per game, riding off the offense firepower from junior guards Destiny Ryles (15.3 ppg) and Tori Williams (13.0 ppg) and senior guard Latavia Jackson (11.8 ppg). Ryles ranks sixth in the league in scoring and leads the league in assists (5.6 per game) as well as assist/turnover ration (1.8).

SERIES HISTORY
The Wildcats are 10-8 over the Firebirds. Daemen and UDC went 1-1 in the 2022-23 season, dropping their first meeting last season which snapped a nine-game Daemen win streak over the Firebirds.

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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