BUFFALO – The D'Youville University women's basketball team was defeated by Daemen University on Sunday by a score of 80-61.
 
Anna Jankovic (Averill Park, N.Y.) led the Saints with 18 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Jaelyn Vleer-Elliott (Waterville, N.Y.) turned in a double-digit scoring performance for the fourth consecutive game with 12 points. Brianne Moxley (Penfield, N.Y.) did a great job distributing the ball, recording a career-high eight assists.
 
Vleer-Elliott got the Saints on the board first with a layup. A pair of free throws from Jankovic put DYU ahead 5-4 at the 6:12 mark. After Daemen scored five straight to take a 9-5 lead, Stella Mollica (Shillington, Pa.) knocked down a three-pointer to cut the Wildcats' lead to one with 4:27 remaining in the first quarter. Moxley poured in a three-pointer of her own to make it 15-13 Daemen with 1:52 left in the quarter. The Wildcats extended their lead to five as the first quarter came to a close.
 
A close-range jumper from Jankovic kept Daemen's lead at five in the first minute of the second quarter. Neither team was able to get on the board again until the 4:28 mark, when Daemen knocked down a three-pointer to take an eight-point advantage. Carla Torrubia Cano (Melilla, Spain) converted a layup to end D'Youville's scoring drought with four minutes until halftime. After five straight points from Daemen, Mercy Lasu (Innisfil, Canada) drained a three to cut the deficit to eight with 2:41 remaining in the quarter. The Wildcats closed the half on a 7-2 run to take a 40-27 lead.
 
Daemen began to distance themselves from the Saints even further in the third quarter, starting the quarter on a 10-4 run before a 12-footer from Mollica put a stop to the momentum. A 9-0 run, including a three-point play from Jankovic and a layup from Vleer-Elliott cut Daemen's lead to ten with four minutes left in the quarter. However, the Wildcats would close the quarter on a 13-2 run to take a 63-42 into the fourth quarter.
 
Isabella Kostyal-Larrier (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) and Sofie Fuglsang (Oberanven, Luxembourg) hit threes on consecutive possessions to start the fourth quarter for the Saints. Jankovic and Fuglsang knocked down a pair of three-pointers to close out the game for D'Youville.
 
The Saints will be back in action on Friday, when they travel to the University of the District of Columbia.