Geoff Schneider

Women's Basketball Travels to Mercy and STAC this Weekend

12/11/2025 3:24:00 PM

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

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
After five straight home games, the Daemen University women's basketball team hits the road for its first away ECC matches this weekend. The Wildcats head to Mercy on Friday before traveling to St. Thomas Aquinas on Sunday. Daemen posted a 7-1 road record during ECC play last season, with the Wildcats' only loss coming to D'Youville.

LAST TIME OUT
Daemen opened ECC play at home last weekend with two wins. Last Friday, the Wildcats defeated Queens 68-62 in their ECC opener, securing the win late with a 7-1 run in the final two minutes after the Knights fought back to tie the game earlier in the fourth. Ne'vaeh Buntley (Rochester, N.Y.) scored 19 points and collected eight rebounds while adding three steals. Cecilia Lapertosa posted five blocks and recorded nine rebounds, contributing five assists. Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) finished with 18 points and converted six of eight free throws. On Sunday, four Wildcats scored in double figures to help Daemen defeat Molloy 78-66. Buntley scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds, leading the offensive effort. Shyla Montgomery (Brockton, Mass.) added 13 points and collected eight rebounds. Pikett showcased defensive skills with four steals and scored 10 points, while Lapertosa logged 10 points and four rebounds.

WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Buntley and Lapertosa were both named to the ECC Weekly Honor Roll on Monday following the Wilddcats' two victories. Buntley averaged 21.0 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game, and 2.0 steals per game and shot 50.0 percent from the field. She scored 21 points against Queens and added 19 against Molloy. Lapertosa averaged 3.0 blocks per game and 6.5 rebounds per game while recording two steals. She posted a season-high five blocks, grabbed nine rebounds, including six defensive boards, and logged two steals while scoring nine points against Queens. Lapertosa then recorded a block and grabbed four rebounds while scoring 10 points against Molloy.

IN THE RANKINGS
Buntley leads the team and ranks fourth in the ECC in scoring (15.9 PPG). Lapertosa is eighth in the conference in scoring (13.7 PPG), tied for seventh in rebounding (7.6 RPG), second in blocks (2.0 BPG), and 13th in steals (1.6 SPG). Pikett is the conference leader in steals per game, averaging 3.9 per contest. She has logged multiple steals in every game thus far. Joline Raposo (Tampa, Fla.) sits third in steals, averaging 2.6 steals per game, while Sophie Auer (Lewiston, N.Y.) ranks fifth (2.0 SPG).

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. Daemen posted six blocks against Queens and five against Molloy last weekend.

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 MAVERICKS (4-3, 2-0 ECC)
The Mavericks opened ECC play with two wins last weekend, defeating Staten Island, 71-52 and District of Columbia, 73-54. Mercy also defeated Adelphi and Bentley during non-conference play. The Mavericks are led in scoring by Grace Lesko (20.6 PPG), who is also the conference leader. Lesko also leads Mercy in rebounding (7.6 RPG). Amani Abuhatab is averaging 14.5 PPG and 5.0 rebounds per game. Megan Marcotte is helping lead the defensive efforts with 2.0 blocks per game while grabbing 6.5 rebounds per game.

SERIES HISTORY
The Wildcats are 22-3 all-time against Mercy and won both meetings last season, defeating the Mavericks 58-44 at home and 56-40 on the road.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS (2-6, 1-1 ECC)
STAC dropped its first ECC game 72-62 in overtime to UDC last Wednesday before defeating Staten Island 62-58 last Saturday. The Spartans also picked up a win over Goldey-Beacom in non-conference action. St. Thomas Aquinas is led in scoring by Bailey Chapman (11.5 PPG), who is also leading the squad in rebounding (8.3 RPG). Cassidy Mahaney is averaging 8.5 PPG and is tied for the team lead with 2.5 assists per game.

SERIES HISTORY
The Spartans are the only team in the ECC that which the Wildcats have a losing record against. STAC leads the all-time series history 14-12, but Daemen has won the last three meetings. Last season, the Wildcats won 58-50 at home and 72-53 on the road.

UP NEXT
Daemen heads to Las Vegas, Nev., next weekend for the Holiday Hoops Classic at Southpoint Arena. The Wildcats take on Texas A&M Kingsville on Saturday at 9 a.m. PST, then battle Montana State Billings at 11:15 a.m. PST on Sunday. Both games will be streamed on FloCollege.

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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