AMHERST, N.Y. — The Daemen women's basketball team is once again ranked #23 nationally in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) NCAA Division II Coaches' Poll.

The Wildcats hold at #23 in the WBCA rankings for the second straight week after jumping back in the polls last week.

Off to a 13-2 start, including a 6-0 ECC record, Daemen most recently defeated District of Columbia (67-54) and Staten Island (78-52) to remain undefeated in conference action. It marks the second straight season that the Wildcats have started conference action with six consecutive wins. 

Daemen earned two wins to wrap up its non-conference slate. On Jan. 1, the Wildcats logged their second win over a nationally-ranked opponent, defeating #18 Bentley, 75-62. Daemen then downed Franklin Pierce 76-42 two days later.  

The Wildcats went 1-1 at the Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas, Nev., on Dec. 21-22. Daemen defeated Texas A&M Kingsville before falling to Montana State Billings. Daemen completed a 4-0 stretch to start ECC play in December, defeating St. Thomas Aquinas and Mercy on the road. The Wildcats also picked up conference wins over Molloy and Queens at home.

Earlier in non-conference action, Daemen earned a 66-6 victory over #24 nationally-ranked Holy Family on Nov. 30. It was the team's first win over a ranked opponent since January 3, 2024, when they defeated #5/11 Ferris State 61-56. The Wildcats also defeated Chestnut Hill, Goldey-Beacom, and Wilmington during the start of non-conference play.

Daemen is being led offensively by Ne'vaeh Buntley (Rochester, N.Y.), who is averaging 15.5 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game. The sophomore ranks third in the conference in scoring. Cecilia Lapertosa (Whitesboro, N.Y.) is the team leader in rebounding (7.0 RPG) and blocks (2.0 BPG). She is second in the ECC in blocks, seventh in scoring (13.7 PPG), and 10th in rebounds. 

The Wildcats have also seen strong contributions from Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.), who leads the conference in steals per game (3.1 SPG) while averaging 11.5 PPG and 5.6 RPG. Shyla Montgomery (Brockton, Mass.) is fourth in the conference in assists (3.1 APG) and third in steals (2.3 SPG). Julia Fontanillo (Valladolid, Spain) is 10th in the conference in assists. 

Daemen is back on the road this weekend, heading to Queens for a 5 p.m. game on Friday before traveling to Molloy for a 12 p.m. contest on Sunday.

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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.

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