WALTHAM, Mass.- The College of Saint Rose women's basketball team suffered a 52-47 defeat versus Daemen today in the first round of the NCAA Division II tournament at the Dana Center on the campus of Bentley University.

Sophomore guards Kaelah Carter and Payton Graber each finished in double-figures for the Golden Knights, with Carter pouring in a team-high 16 points. Graber logged 14 points, seven rebounds, four steals, and four assists in an all-around effort.

Sophomore forward Aniya McDonald-Perry topped the Golden Knights with nine rebounds, while junior forward Maddisyn Mahoney added eight points and five assists.

After a slow start by Saint Rose allowed Daemen to jump ahead early, the Golden Knights were able to take a one-point lead into halftime thanks to Graber's 12 points in the opening two quarters.

The Golden Knights offense sputtered again in the third period, as Saint Rose only converted 3-of-12 attempts for a total of seven points in the frame.

Trailing 37-33 going into the fourth, the Golden Knights would rally to score 12 of the next 20 points, with eight coming from Carter, to level the score at 45-45 with four minutes remaining. 

The two sides remained deadlocked down to the final minute, until Daemen guard Alahna Paige hit a go-ahead floater in the lane to put the Wildcats on top for with 54 seconds left.

Saint Rose had a chance with the ball following a timeout, however the ensuing possession resulted in a missed three-point attempt by Carter. Daemen would close out the win at the free-throw line after that.

Paige led all scorers with 26 points to guide the Wildcats to a second round date with Assumption.

Picked to finish 11th in the Northeast-10 Conference in 2023-24, the Golden Knights and NE10 Coach of the Year Will Brown registered an overall record of 21-7, which marks the most wins tallied by the program since the 2010-11 campaign.

Saint Rose also capped the year ranked first in the country in defensive points allowed per game, defensive field goal percentage, and defensive three-point field goal percentage.

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