AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen College is the No. 8 team in the official NCAA Division II East Region rankings for women's basketball which were released this afternoon. It marks the first of three polls that will be released by the Regional Advisory Committee leading up to the NCAA Championships Selection Show on Sunday, March 6.

Under the guidance of sixth-year head coach Jenepher Banker, the Wildcats have posted a 15-3 overall record so far this season, as well as a perfect 13-0 mark in East Coast Conference play. They've won 13 straight games overall—the longest winning streak among all East Region teams.

Daemen owns a 14-2 in-region record this season and a 0-2 mark against teams included in this week's regional rankings—having lost two tight games to No. 10 Saint Anselm College (75-70) and No. 9 Stonehill College (68-66) back in November. The Wildcats were scheduled to play No. 5 Le Moyne College and No. 6 Bentley University, but those games were canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.

Daemen has averaged 74.3 points per game and has outscored its opponents by an average of 19.3 points during its current 13 game winning streak. Defense has been a key to Daemen's success in recent years and this season is no exception. The Wildcats rank fourth in the region in scoring defense—allowing just 56.8 points per game. Daemen has held 51 of its last 62 opponents to 65 points or less and the Wildcats are 47-4 in those games.

The East Region of NCAA Division II is comprised of teams from the East Coast Conference, the Northeast-10 Conference and the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. The eight-team NCAA Championships East Regional—one of eight regional tournaments that comprise the 64-team NCAA tournament—will consist of three automatic berths and five at-large selections, and it takes place March 11-14 at a site that has yet to be determined.

Southern New Hampshire University (18-5) of the Northeast-10 sits atop the first NCAA Regional poll, while Pace University (19-5), Chestnut Hill College (21-4), Jefferson University (19-6) and Le Moyne (15-5) round out the top five. The bottom five consists of Bentley (14-6), University of the Sciences (18-3), Daemen (15-3), Stonehill (11-7) and Saint Anselm (12-11).

Daemen sits atop the ECC standings and has already clinched a top-two seed in next month's conference tournament. A showdown with St. Thomas Aquinas College kicks off the Wildcats' final home stand of the regular season this Friday. The home stand wraps up Sunday with the Wildcats entertaining Mercy College. Five Daemen players will be recognized as part of the program's Senior Day celebration on Sunday.

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 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 College women's basketball program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenWBB.