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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
Cecilia Lapertosa shoots a free throw
Geoff Schneider
77
Winner Indiana (PA) IUP 11-1,6-0 PSAC
74
Daemen Daemen 8-6,4-0 ECC
Winner
Indiana (PA) IUP
11-1,6-0 PSAC
77
Final
74
Daemen Daemen
8-6,4-0 ECC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Indiana (PA) IUP 28 13 11 25 77
Daemen Daemen 22 13 25 14 74

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

Women's Basketball Falls To RV IUP In Friday Night Thriller

AMHERST, N.Y. – In a thriller at Lumsden Gymnasium, the Daemen University women's basketball team and RV Indiana University (Pennsylvania) battled it out to the very end in a back-and-forth nail biter that saw the Wildcats post one of their highest scores of the season. The Crimson Hawks came away with the 77-74 win to improve to 11-1 on the year while handing Daemen their third loss in a row and move the Wildcats to 8-6 on the year.
 
It was an incredible offensive performance for the Cats who struggled to put up points in their two games in the Hoops in Hawaii Classic on Dec. 20-21. Daemen shot a season-high 51.9% from the field after going 27-of-52 on the court tonight in a game that saw four different Wildcats score in the double-digits. Junior forward Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) led Daemen offensively with 19 points on the night, 13 of those coming in the second half.
 
This was the final non-conference game of the season for the Wildcats. Daemen resumes East Coast Conference play next weekend as they travel downstate to play at Molloy University (Friday, Jan. 10) and Queens College (Sunday, Jan. 12).
 
IMPACT PLAYERS
  • Pikett scored in the double-digits for the eighth game this season, totaling 19 points after shooting 46.7% from the field (7-of-15) and 42.9% beyond the arc (3-of-7). She totaled four defensive rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal in her stellar performance on Friday night.
  • Junior forward Cecilia Lapertosa (Whitesboro, N.Y.) totaled 16 points after shooting 77.8% from the field (7-of-9) along with five rebounds, four assists and one steal.
  • Sophomore guard Sophie Auer (Lewiston, N.Y.) finished with 15 points off five field goals, a triple and four of four free throws while adding three rebounds, one assist and one steal.
  • Graduate student guard Danielle DiCintio (Somers, N.Y.) posted 15 points after tallying 3-of-6 beyond the arc. She added five rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal on the night. 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • IUP got off to a 7-0 start and after a pair of layups from Lapertosa and Auer, the Crimson Hawks took a 14-4 lead after the first three and a half minutes of play. Daemen scored 10 of the next 14 points – eight of those coming from DiCintio – from there to bring the game within four, and each team traded baskets in the final two and a half minutes of the quarter. IUP led 28-22 after the first quarter after shooting 73.3% from the field, while Daemen shot an impressive 10-of-16 from the field (62.5%).
  • The Wildcats brought the game within two, 28-26, in the first 45 seconds after a Pikett driving layup and a jumper from Buntley. In a much lower scoring second quarter, the Crimson Hawks and Daemen each scored 13 points and IUP took a 41-35 lead into the break.
  • Opening the third on an 8-2 run, the Wildcats tied the game for the first time at the 7:30 minute mark of the quarter and took the lead 48-43 after Pikett drained a pair of triples and had a driving layup. The Wildcats continued to dominate through the end of the quarter, outscoring IUP 25-11 in the third, to take a 60-52 lead into the final quarter of play.
  • IUP scored five unanswered to open the fourth quarter and continued cutting into Daemen's lead. Auer knocked down a jumper with 5:12 left in the game to make it a seven-point game, 68-61, but from there, the Crimson Hawks scored 10 of the next 12 to take a 71-70 lead. IUP held onto the lead for the rest of the game despite the late efforts of the Wildcats and came away with the 77-74 win.
GAME NOTES
  • Indiana (Pa.) is the fourth ranked team that the Wildcats have faced this season. The Crimson Hawks are receiving votes in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) NCAA Division II Top-25 Coaches Poll. Daemen has lost to all four ranked teams this season.
  • This is the second three-game losing streak that the Wildcats have been on this season. After opening the season 0-3, Daemen went on to win the next eight straight games.
  • Today's loss snapped an eight-game home win streak for the Wildcats that dated back to Feb. 22, 2024. IUP is just the third team that Daemen has lost to at home since the 2021-22 season.
  • Daemen is now 0-3 all-time against the Crimson Hawks.
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, Instagram at @DaemenWBB
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