Amherst, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College women's basketball team suffered their first setback of the 2022-23 campaign on Wednesday evening, a 69-66 defeat on the road against the Daemen University Wildcats.
 
Senior guard Lytota Baker (Rochester, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) recorded her second double-double of the young season, and pulled down double-digit rebounds for the third consecutive game to begin the campaign. She finished Wednesday's non-conference contest with a team-high 18 points, on 6-9 shooting from the field, to go along with 11 rebounds in 27 minutes of action.
 
Redshirt-sophomore forward Haedyn Roberts (Holland Patent, N.Y./Holland Patent) also tallied her second double-double of the campaign, and for the third consecutive game she reached double-figures in scoring. Roberts contributed 13 points, including a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line, and 11 rebounds.
 
Roberts and Baker each grabbed six offensive boards during the contest.
 
Redshirt-freshman guard Sydney Lusher (Oneida, N.Y./Oneida) was 6-6 from the free-throw line and finished the fast-paced contest with 17 points and eight boards.
 
Freshman guard Kaia Goode (Rochester, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) was the fourth Le Moyne player to score double-digit points during the non-conference battle, providing 10 points, five rebounds and three steals to the Le Moyne cause during 32 minutes played.
 
Fellow first-year player Sierra Linnin (Valley Cottage, N.Y./Albertus Magnus) also recorded a team-high three steals, along with seven points off the bench.
 
Lexi Gruss (Binghamton, N.Y./Binghamton) was an important part of Le Moyne's defensive effort in 28 minutes played, while Emily Florvil (Brooklyn, N.Y./Nazareth) tallied three rebounds, two assists, one steal and a free throw in 12 minutes of action off the bench.

Daemen University junior guard Kaytlyn Matz and graduate guard Paige Emborsky both hit a game-high four three-point field goals during the contest, while no Le Moyne player converted more than one long-distance attempt.

The Dolphins shot just 3-16 from beyond the three-point line during the 40 minutes, while the Wildcats lit it up from long distance, converting on 11 of their 22 three-point attempts.

Le Moyne made up some ground at the free-throw line, sinking 25 of their 29 free shots while Daemen went 16-23 from the line.
 
Matz finished with a team-high 15 points on 4-5 from beyond the arc, and Emborsky was close behind with 14 points on 4-7 shooting from three-point land.
 
Gabby McDuffie and Julia Hauer scored 11 and 10 points for Daemen, respectively.
 
The Dolphins were able to hold two of Daemen's key offensive threats, Mickayla Ivy and Alahna Paige, to a combined 3-12 shooting during the matchup.
 
Shyla Montgomery was a defensive pest for the Wildcats off the bench. The first-year guard contributed four assists and two steals in 11 minutes played.
 
The Dolphins scored the first seven points of the contest via two Roberts free throws, a Goode three-pointer followed by a Baker jump shot, then the Wildcats went on a 7-0 run of their own via two free throws, a bucket in the paint, and a three-point field goal from Matz.
 
The Wildcats established a 15-9 lead with 1:23 remaining in the first quarter.
 
During the next Le Moyne possession, Goode passed the ball to Florvil on the right wing, and the sophomore guard drove into the paint, drew the attention of multiple defenders and then kicked it out to Lusher who knocked down an open mid-range jumper from the left side of the floor.
 
With 10 second remaining in the first period, Baker dribbled the ball on the left wing, and Lusher set a screen to her right.
 
Baker came off the screen towards the top of the key, and Lusher's defender hedged hard.
 
Baker crossed back to her left and smoothly sank a 17-footer from straight on to make it 15-13 in favor of the Wildcats after 10 minutes of action.
 
Le Moyne made just two field goals, to go along with six free throws, during the second quarter, while Emborsky made two three-point field goals for Daemen herself during the period, helping the Wildcats to a 30-23 lead at halftime.
 
Matz hit two consecutive three-point field goals during the first minute and a half of the third quarter to extend Daemen's lead to 36-23.
 
The Wildcats went 4-5 from long range during the third period, but the 'Phins hung around with four points from Lusher, two free throws from Goode, five points from Roberts and five points from Baker during the penultimate quarter.
 
McDuffie hit a big three pointer from the top of the key with 1:09 left in the third to extend Daemen's lead to 50-37, and then at the other end of the court Le Moyne Head Coach Mary Grimes called a great play to steal back some momentum at the end of the quarter.
 
With three Le Moyne players on the right side of the floor, Lusher faced up her defender, crossed to her left, then dribbled between her legs and shifted back to the right.
 
As Lusher cut back to the right, Gruss and Linnin both ran through to the left corner, leaving Baker alone with her defender on the right wing.
 
As Lusher dribbled at Baker's defender, Baker made a quick backdoor cut from the right wing to the right block, and Lusher delivered a perfect, high bounce pass that allowed Baker to catch the ball and go right up to finish the layup off glass, cutting the Dolphins' deficit to 50-39.
 
Le Moyne's defensive pressure allowed them to chip away at Daemen's double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.

The Dolphins dictated the pace of the game during the final 10 minutes, and were able to disrupt Daemen's offensive game plan.
 
With 8:46 left in the game Goode deflected a pass at the top of Le Moyne's zone, gathered the loose ball and pushed it up the center of the floor.
 
Goode took it all the way to the basket and threw her layup attempt off the backboard. The shot was affected by multiple defenders and did not touch the rim, but Baker had sprinted down the floor after the steal and corralled the offensive rebound, her sixth of the contest.
 
Baker dribbled the ball away from danger then found a wide open Linnin on the left wing. Linnin stepped into the shot with confidence and hit nothing but net on her three-point attempt to make it 53-46 in favor of Daemen.
 
Baker caught the ball at the high post, got around her defender and scored a layup on the right block to cut the deficit to 53-48 with 7:25 left in the contest, then during the next Le Moyne possession, Linnin delivered a nice entry pass from the right wing to Roberts on the low block, and Le Moyne's redshirt-sophomore forward turned towards the hoop, drew a foul and converted both free throws to make it a one-possession game with just under 7:00 minutes left in the period.
 
With 6:07 remaining Baker picked up her fourth foul on a hand check call, then she was called for an offensive foul at the other end of the floor, which fouled her out of the contest.
 
With Baker unavailable for the remainder of the game, Le Moyne went with a smaller lineup of Roberts, Lusher, Linnin, Gruss and Goode, putting the 5'11" point guard Lusher at the bottom of Le Moyne's 3-2 zone.
 
With Baker off the floor, Daemen tried to go inside on the next possession. The Wildcats got the ball to Hauer at the high post, pulling Roberts away from the basket and leaving Lusher by herself under the hoop.
 
Lusher was guarding Claire Pikett on the left block, but McDuffie made a great cut from the top of the key towards the right block, and Hauer snapped a pass over her head to the cutting freshman. In a dazzling display of athleticism from Le Moyne's primary lead guard, Lusher reacted to the pass, slid to the other side of the restricted area, jumped off two feet and cleanly blocked McDuffie's layup attempt, earning possession back for the 'Phins.
 
Good corralled the loose ball from Lusher's block and pushed the ball up the left side of the floor. Goode weaved towards the middle of the floor, then sent a pass to Linnin on the right wing. Not willing to give up an open look to one of Le Moyne's sharpshooters, Haue ran Linnin off the line, and Linnin drove the ball towards the middle of the floor.
 
The Daemen defense was disorganized on the transition play, and Linnin kick the ball out to an uncovered Sydney Lusher on the left wing.
 
Daemen's Alahna Paige scrambled to the perimeter and made a decent contest on the shot, but Lusher's triple was pure. The ball had so much arc that it left the camera frame on Daemen's live stream before ripping through the net to put give the 'Phins a 55-53 advantage, their first lead of the game since they were up 9-7 on the Wildcats with 4:42 left in the first quarter.
 
Daemen took a 56-55 lead following a basket in the paint from Hauer then a free throw from Matz, and Goode fouled out for Le Moyne with 3:10 left in the fourth quarter.
 
One of Daemen's most important players, Mickayla Ivy, fouled out of the game with 2:42 left after sinking two free throws to put her team up 58-55.
 
It was Lusher who attacked Ivy off the bounce, got to the basket and drew the fifth foul on Daemen's senior forward.
 
Lusher sank both free throws to cut Le Moyne's deficit back to one.
 
The Dolphins stayed in their full-court press following the made free throw, and Linnin jumped into a passing lane and stole the ball near the top of the key.
 
Linnin took two dribbles towards the left block and was fouled going up for the layup. She made both free throws to put Le Moyne up 59-58.
 
Le Moyne stayed in their press after taking the lead, and a foul was called on the inbounds pass.
 
Emborsky made two free throws to put Daemen up one point, then Hauer converted a shot in the lane to make it 62-59 in favor of the Wildcats with 2:14 left in the fourth quarter.
 
Roberts used her strength to get to the basket and draw a shooting foul for Le Moyne at the other end, then she made two clutch free throws to cut Le Moyne's deficit back to one.
 
Daemen missed two free throws with 1:33 left, but the ball was knocked out of bounds during the fight for the rebound and a referee awarded possession back with Daemen.
 
Hauer got the ball on the left block and finished a tough fallaway to once again make it a three-point game with 1:29 on the clock.
 
During the ensuing Le Moyne possession, Lusher got past her primary defender and drove the ball into the paint. Roberts' defender stepped up to help, and Lusher dropped off a nice pass to Roberts in the short corner to the left of the paint.
 
Roberts caught the pass, stepped towards the basket and finished the layup in what looked like a completely legal basketball move, but the baseline referee called a travel on the play, negating the basket and giving possession back to the Wildcats, who still held a 64-61 lead with 1:15 remaining.
 
Hauer came up with a big offensive rebound during the next Daemen possession and successfully converted the puback through contact to make it 66-61 in favor of the Wildcats.
 
Linnin got a clean look from beyond the three-point line with 0:38 left in the game. Her shot missed long, but Florvil hustled to grab the offensive rebound for Le Moyne, and was fouled.
 
Florvil missed her first free throw but made the second one.
 
Le Moyne immediately fouled on the inbound pass, and Paige made one of two at the free throw line for Daemen.
 
Facing a 67-62 deficit with 32 seconds on the clock, the 'Phins got the ball to Lusher and she pushed it up the left side of the floor.
 
She was hip to hip with her defender when a second Daemen player cut into her path from the middle of the floor to try and steal the ball.
 
Lusher slowed down for a moment to let the help defender fly ball, which created space from her primary defender as well.
 
Lusher then increased her speed, drove hard to the left block and finished the contested layup to once again make it a one-possession game.
 
Le Moyne fouled immediately, and McDuffie hit two clutch free throws to give the Wildcats a 69-64 advantage.
 
The Wildcats improved to 3-0 with the victory, while the 'Phins now hold a 2-1 record.
 
The Le Moyne College women's basketball team will be back in action on Saturday, November 19 when they host the College of Saint Rose for a 1:00 p.m. matchup on Ted Grant Court. The contest will be the first Northeast-10 Conference game of the season for the Dolphins.