Geoff Schneider

Women's Basketball Battles No. 24 Holy Family At Home Sunday

11/28/2025 1:51:00 PM

By: CONTACT: Connor Griffin, Assistant Director of Athletics Communications | cgriffin@daemen.edu

BACK IN ACTION
The Daemen University women's basketball team welcomes #24 nationally-ranked Holy Family for a post-Thanksgiving showdown on Sunday afternoon. This will be the Wildcats' third of five straight home games and their second nationally-ranked opponent in three contests.

LAST TIME OUT
Daemen defeated Chestnut Hill, 77-54, last Sunday at Lumsden Gymnasium, thanks to Cecilia Lapertosa's (Whitesboro, N.Y.) second straight double-double and 22 points from Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.). The Wildcats dominated the paint, scoring 48 points and securing 53 rebounds, effectively controlling the boards throughout the game. Julia Fontanillo (Valladolid, Spain) facilitated the offense with five assists and collected seven rebounds. Ne'vaeh Buntley (Rochester, N.Y.) contributed defensively with two steals and added 10 points.

LAPERTOSA EARNS WEEKLY PRAISE
Lapertosa was named ECC Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. The forward averaged a double-double in two games last week, recording 16.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. She also posted five blocks (2.5 BPG) and two steals in the contests. The senior logged her first double-double of the season against No. 5 Gannon last Wednesday, posting 12 points and 12 rebounds, including 11 defensive boards. On Sunday, Lapertosa posted her second straight double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds, including nine defensive boards, helping Daemen defeat Chestnut Hill, 77-54.

WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Pikett was named to the ECC Weekly Honor Roll on Monday. She averaged 12 PPG and 7.5 RBG, while recording 5 steals and three blocks in two games. Pikett contributed significantly defensively against No. 5 Gannon, with three steals, a block, and seven defensive rebounds. Last Sunday, during Daemen's win over Chestnut Hill, she scored a team-high 22 points, tying her career high while grabbing eight rebounds and logging two blocks, two steals, and two assists. She shot 57.1% (8-for-14) from the field, including a 3-5 (60%) mark from three.

DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
The Wildcats recorded 36 steals against Wilmington on Nov. 14, the most in a game in the program's Division II era. Raposo broke the program record (Division II era) for steals in a game with nine, while Pikett logged eight and Montgomery posted six. Additionally, the Wildcats had 10 blocks in the contest, led by freshman Brianna Caliri (Staten Island, N.Y) with three and Jalea Abrams (Elmira, N.Y.) with two. On Nov. 15, the Wildcats logged 18 steals with seven from Pikett while Lapertosa and Auer each snagged two. Caliri registered two of Daemen's five blocks in the contest. The Wildcats logged seven steals and four blocks against Gannon last game.

NEW LEADER
Nate Beutel was named the Head Women's Basketball Coach at Daemen in September. Beutel has more than a decade of coaching experience. He served as the head women's basketball coach for 13 successful seasons at SUNY Niagara, where he led the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II program to 314 wins. The six-time NJCAA Region III Div. II Coach of the Year and five-time NJCAA Div. II East District Coach of the Year developed nearly 50 All-Region players, including eight NJCAA Div. II All-Americans and seven Region III Div. II Players of the Year. Following his 13 years as the head coach at SUNY Niagara, Beutel made the jump to the Division I level this summer, being named the Director of Basketball Operations and an Assistant Coach at the University at Buffalo. He takes over the reins following the retirement of Jenepher Banker in August after nine seasons leading the Wildcats.

WELCOME TO THE SQUAD
The Wildcats welcomed four new players this season, with three transfers and one freshman. Junior Abrams arrived in Amherst from ECC foe Queens. Daemen also added some international flair, with Julia Fontanillo (Valladolid, Spain) coming on board after two seasons at Raritan Valley CC. Sophomore Kaylee Marvin (Ontario, N.Y.) joined the team from Wheeling University. Caliri is the lone freshman this year.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS
The Tigers are ranked No. 24 nationally in the WBCA poll. Holy Family is coming off 79-65 win over Dominican (NY) in its CACC opener on Tuesday. The Tigers have also defeated Saint Michael's, Franklin Pierce, and Molloy in non-conference tilts. Holy Family is led in scoring by Taylor Kinkle (14.4 PPG), who is averaging a double-double with 13.4 rebounds per game. Claire Dougherty is averaging 10.6 PPG and 7.8 RPG.

SERIES HISTORY
The teams have met four times during Daemen's Division II era, with the Wildcats holding a 1-3 record in those contests. Last season, Daemen played Holy Family twice, the first during the regular season, where it earned a 55-53 road win. The Tigers then ended the Wildcats' season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 68-55 win in Waltham, Mass.

UP NEXT
Daemen opens ECC play next weekend, hosting Queens at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and Molloy at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

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

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