AMHERST, N.Y. -- The Daemen University women's basketball team remains ranked fifth in the East Region in the latest Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) Women's Basketball Regional Poll,
as released on Monday afternoon. The Wildcats have been ranked in 46 straight regional polls, dating back to early January 2019. The East Region consists of 10 teams from the East Coast Conference, Northeast-10 Conference and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.
The Wildcats are 14-4 on the season and 9-3 in ECC play after this weekend's sweep over Staten Island and District of Columbia. Daemen posted their largest win of the season in a 25-point victory, 79-54, over the Dolphins on Friday night in a game in which four Daemen players posted double-digit points and the Wildcats shot a season-high 53-percent (34-of-64) from the field and 44-percent (10-of-23) from beyond the arc. Freshman forward
Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) and junior guard
Kaytlyn Matz (Johnsburg, Ill.) each tallied 15 points in the victory
Daemen finished the weekend by posting their largest point total of the season in a 91-63 victory over District of Columbia, getting revenge over the Firebirds from Jan. 21's loss on the road. The Wildcats never trailed on Sunday afternoon and shot 58-percent (35-of-60) from the field and 62-percent (8-of-13) from beyond the arc in the game. Daemen totaled 48 rebounds, marking their second-highest total of the season, and finished with a season-high 37 defensive boards over the Firebirds. Pikett and junior forward
Natalie Angeletti (Panama, N.Y.) were two of five Daemen players in the double figures, and led the Wildcats with 13 points a piece. Angeletti tallied her second double-double of the year, pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds.
After putting together back-to-back double digit point outings, Pikett earned her first
ECC Rookie of the Week honors, becoming the first Daemen player to earn Rookie of the Week honors since
Katie Titus in the 2018-19 season. Pikett is the second Wildcat to earn an ECC weekly award this season, as
Paige Emborsky (Newfane, N.Y.) was named ECC Player of the Week on Dec. 5 after averaging 17 points per game in ECC opening weekend games against Queens and Molloy.
Jefferson (58) moves back into first place in the region with five of the six first-place votes and regaining the regional lead over Assumption (54), who picked up the last first place vote. Le Moyne (49), Southern New Hampshire (42) and Daemen (33) round out the top five. Bentley (28), St. Thomas Aquinas (27), Chestnut Hill (17), Holy Family (14) and Southern Connecticut State (4) are the final teams in the region.
The D2SIDA East Region media poll is conducted by sports information professionals representing the ECC, Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference and Northeast-10 Conference.
| D2SIDA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL EAST REGION MEDIA POLL - WEEK 12 |
|
W-L |
PTS. |
LAST WEEK |
| 1. Jefferson (5) |
20-2 |
58 |
2 |
| 2. Assumption (1) |
19-3 |
54 |
1 |
| 3. Le Moyne |
17-5 |
49 |
T3 |
| 4. Southern New Hampshire |
15-5 |
42 |
T3 |
| 5. DAEMEN |
14-4 |
33 |
5 |
| 6. Bentley |
13-8 |
28 |
7 |
| 7. St. Thomas Aquinas |
17-5 |
27 |
6 |
| 8. Chestnut Hill |
15-7 |
17 |
8 |
| 9. Holy Family |
17-7 |
14 |
9 |
| 10. Southern Connecticut St. |
13-8 |
4 |
10 |
RV: New Haven
( ) denotes first-place votes
Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 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 women's basketball program on Twitter and Instagram at @DaemenWBB.
