Amherst, N.Y. – SURVIVE AND ADVANCE!! The top-seeded Daemen University women's basketball team will play in the East Coast Conference Tournament championship game for the fourth straight season after topping fifth-seed Staten Island 64-52 in the ECC semifinal game on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats will face the winner of the second semifinal game between No. 2 seed St. Thomas Aquinas and No. 6 seed Queens on Sunday in the championship game at Lumsden Gymnasium.
Coming off their Cinderella story play-in game in the ECC tournament, the Dolphins hung with the Wildcats early, with Daemen narrowly outscoring Staten Island 23-18 in the first quarter. Daemen and CSI opened the second quarter trading baskets, the Dolphins took a one-point lead (32-31) with 2:30 left to play in the first half, taking the lead for the first time in the game. Staten Island led 36-31 at the half after a tough second quarter in which the Wildcats just made four baskets.
Daemen came out of the break on a mission after trailing by five at the half and outscored the Dolphins 12-7 in the third quarter. The Wildcats tied it up at 43 a piece going into the final quarter of play. The Wildcats really won this game in the final quarter of play, putting together a 21-point fourth quarter while holding the Dolphins to just nine points. Daemen knocked down 54-percent (7-of-13) from the field and 50-percent (2-of-4) from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter of this one.
The Wildcats finished the afternoon shooting 39-percent (24-of-61) from the field, 33-percent (6-of-18) from three and 71-percent (10-of-14) from the free throw stripe.
Three Wildcats scored in the double figures this afternoon, with graduate student Paige Emborsky (Newfane, N.Y.) leading the way with 12 points. Juniors Alahna Paige (Rochester, N.Y.) and Kaytlyn Matz (Johnsburg, Ill.) each scored 11 points in the victory. Staten Island's Jenalyse Alarcon and Elizabeth Lofaro each scored 10 points for the Dolphins today.
IMPACT PLAYERS
- First Team All-ECC guard Paige Emborsky finished as Daemen's top scorer for the 16th game this season, going 44-percent (4-of-9) from the field and knocking down three three-point field goals to finish with 12 points. Emborsky pulled down three rebounds in the victory.
- Second Team All-ECC guard Alahna Paige totaled 11 points after going 4-of-12 from the field and 1-of-4 from beyond the arc. Paige went 3-of-6 and 1-of-2 in the fourth quarter alone to tally double-digit points for the 15th game this season. The guard grabbed two defensive rebounds and posted two assists in 25 minutes of play.
- Kaytlyn Matz shot 4-of-8 from the field and 1-of-3 from beyond the arc for 11 points, while pulling down five rebounds, two blocks and an assist.
- ECC's Defensive Player of the Year Mickayla Ivy (Grand Rapids, Mich.) led all players at the boards with 9 rebounds, tallying a team-high six defensive rebounds and three offensive boards. Ivy totaled six points and led the team with four assists and three steals.
GAME NOTES
- This is the first ever ECC semifinal appearance for Staten Island, who is in their first year of postseason eligibility.
- Before the game, Daemen junior Natalie Angeletti was honored by the league with the Elite 19 award, awarded to the player with the highest GPA playing in the ECC tournament.
- Daemen held the Dolphins to just 52 points. It marked the 15th game this season that the Wildcat defense held a team to less than 60-points.
- The Wildcats led 23-18 after the first, shooting 47-percent (8-of-17) from the field and 50-percent (3-of-6) from beyond the arc. Staten Island shot 53-percent (8-of-15) from the field and banked two of six three balls.
- Emborsky led all shooters in the first quarter with nine points, draining three consecutive three point field goals in the first.
- Daemen held CSI's top scorer in Jenalyse Alarcon to just two first quarter points. Ashley Lambert and Elizabeth Lofaro led the Dolphins with six points in the first after Lambert went 3-of-4 from the field and Lofaro drained two three point field goals.
- The Dolphins took a lead for the first time in the game late in the second after back-to-back jumpers from CSI's Kaia Johnson. Johnson led the Dolphins with nine first-half points, and was one of five Staten Island players to have six or more points through the first two quarters. The Wildcats only had two players with six or more first-half points.
- The buckets were not falling for the Wildcats in the second. Daemen made just four of 13 shots in the second and were outshot 50-percent (8-of-16 for CSI) to 31-percent (4-of-13 for Daemen). Staten Island led 36-31 at the half after outscoring the Wildcats 18-8 in the second quarter.
- Daemen outscored CSI 12-7 in the third quarter to tie the game up at 43 a piece after three. Daemen freshman guard Shyla Montgomery (Brockton, Mass.) tied the game up in the final seconds with a driving layup.
- The Wildcats shot just 28-percent (5-of-18) from the field and made just one of six attempts from beyond the arc, with freshman forward Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) draining Daemen's only three in the quarter.
- Matz and Paige put together a breakout fourth quarter. Paige totaled nine fourth-quarter points, and Matz totaled eight. Coming into the fourth, Matz had scored just three points, while Paige had scored two points through the first three quarters.
- The Wildcats finished with a season-high 10 blocks against the Dolphins. Pikett led the way with four blocks, while Ivy totaled three blocks, Matz finished with two blocks and Montgomery tallied one.
- Daemen picked up their fourth straight ECC regular season championship in last Saturday's regular season finale against D'Youville. The Wildcats became the first team in the ECC to win four consecutive regular season titles since St. Rose (1997-2000).
- The Wildcats are ranked No. 9 in the third and final NCAA Division II East Region rankings. The NCAA announces 10-team rankings for each of the eight regions across the country for three successive weeks leading up to the NCAA Championship selection announcement, which will be made this year on Sunday, March 5.
Provided by the Daemen Sports Information Department.
