Geoff Schneider

Women's Basketball Hosts Mercy and STAC in Final Home Weekend of Regular Season

2/12/2026 9:00:00 AM

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

HOME FINALE AND SENIOR CELEBRATION
The #13 Daemen women's basketball team is back in Lumsden Gymnasium this weekend for its final home games of the regular season, beginning with a tilt against Mercy at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The Wildcats then welcome St. Thomas Aquinas for senior day on Sunday. Daemen will honor seniors Joline Raposo (Tampa, Fla.), Shyla Montgomery (Brockton, Mass.), Cecilia Lapertosa (Whitesboro, N.Y.), and Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) before Sunday's contest.

LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats most recently earned two more conference wins on the road last week, defeating the University of the District of Columbia and Staten Island. On Friday, the Wildcats took down UDC 79-51. Daemen forced a staggering 26 turnovers, resulting in 17 points, and drained nine three-pointers while holding the Firebirds to 37.9% shooting. Ne'vaeh Buntley (Rochester, N.Y.) scored 22 points and recorded two steals, leading the offensive charge with nine field goals. Pikett posted 16 points, adding five steals and two blocks. Kyleigh Chapman (Canandaigua, N.Y) recorded six steals and two blocks while collecting nine rebounds. Reece Beaver (Busti, N.Y.) contributed 13 points on five-of-six shooting. On Sunday, the Wildcats erased an early deficit to come back and defeat CSI 78-75 in overtime. The Wildcats trailed by 13 points after the first quarter and by as much as 20 in the second quarter, but rallied to force overtime, where they sealed the victory. Buntley scored a career-high 34 points, recorded four steals, and grabbed six rebounds. Raposo added 14 points and recorded four steals, three assists, and four rebounds. Julia Fontanillo (Valladolid, Spain) contributed a team-leading seven assists. She also logged five steals and 10 points. Sophie Auer (Lewiston, N.Y.) scored eight points and collected five rebounds.

NATIONALLY-RANKED 'CATS
The Wildcats remained ranked #13 in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) NCAA Division II Coaches' Poll. The Wildcats are ranked for the sixth consecutive week and the seventh time this season. It is the program's second-highest ranking since April 2024, when they were ranked #12. The Wildcats are 8-1 at home, 9-0 on the road, and 2-1 in neutral-site contests. The team is also 2-1 against nationally ranked opponents, with wins over #24 Holy Family (66-61) and #18 Bentley (75-62) and a loss against #5 Gannon (57-50).

BUNTLEY AND CHAPMAN EARN ECC WEEKLY HONORS
The ECC released its weekly awards on Monday, with Buntley earning Player of the Week and Chapman being named Defensive Player of the Week. Buntley averaged 28.0 points, 3.0 steals, and 5.0 rebounds per game, helping in the wins over the weekend. On Friday at UDC, Buntley scored 22 points and recorded two steals, while grabbing four rebounds and dishing out an assist. On Sunday at CSI, Buntley scored a career-high 34 points and recorded four steals while grabbing six rebounds. She made a career-best 12 field goals in the victory. Chapman averaged 3.0 steals, 1.5 blocks, and 7.0 rebounds per game in Daemen's victories. On Friday, the sophomore recorded a career-high six steals while tallying two blocks and collecting nine rebounds, including eight defensive rebounds. On Sunday at CSI, Chapman grabbed five rebounds, recorded one block, and scored three points.

PERFECT IN JANUARY
Daemen went undefeated in January (8-0), with ECC wins over Roberts Wesleyan (86-49), D'Youville (63-45), Molloy (73-60), Queens (81-43), Staten Island (78-52), and the University of the District of Columbia (67-54). The Wildcats logged their second win over a nationally ranked opponent on Jan. 1, defeating #18 Bentley, 75-62. Daemen then beat Franklin Pierce 76-42 two days later, wrapping up its non-conference slate.

DISHING IT OUT
Fontanillo has logged 15 steals in the last three games. She recorded a career-high seven against CSI last Sunday and posted four against UDC last Friday. She also logged four against Roberts Wesleyan (Jan. 31). Additionally, Fontanillo logged six assists against Franklin Pierce (Jan. 3) and five helpers against Chestnut Hill (Nov. 23), Queens (Dec. 5), and Mercy (Dec. 12).

HOT AT HOME
Since the start of the 2018-19 season, Daemen has posted an 82-9 record at Lumsden Gymnasium (.901 winning percentage). The Wildcats have won at least 10 home games in each of the last four seasons and are off to an 8-1 start at home in 2025-26. Daemen's home dominance has been even greater in ECC play as the Wildcats are 59-2 in home conference games over that same span. They'll enter this weekend having won 16 straight home conference games

IN THE RANKINGS
Buntley leads the team and ranks third in the ECC in scoring (16.8 PPG). Pikett is the conference leader in steals (3.6 SPG) and ranks sixth in blocks (1.4 BPG). Montgomery is second in steals (2.4 SPG), while Buntley (1.9 SPG) is tied for eighth. Montgomery is also tied for third in assists (3.1 APG) while Fontanillo sits tied for fifth (2.9 APG).

DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
Daemen leads the ECC and sits 11th nationally in blocks per game (4.9 BPG). The Wildcats also lead the conference in steals per game (16.0 SPG), ranking fifth nationally. Daemen has logged double-digit steals in all but one game this season. 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 Caliri 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. Brianna Caliri (Staten Island, N.Y.) registered two of Daemen's five blocks in the contest. Daemen logged 17 steals and seven blocks at Mercy (Dec. 12) and 16 steals and six blocks against Queens (Dec. 5). Daemen recorded 23 steals at Molloy (Jan. 18) and 22 at Queens (Jan. 16), its second and third most in a game this season, respectively. The Wildcats posted 19 steals at UDC and 18 at CSI.

SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS (16-6, 10-1 ECC)
The Mavericks are 9-1 in their last 10 games, defeating Roberts Wesleyan last Sunday. Mercy fell 77-67 to Felician in its non-conference finale last Wednesday. The Mavericks are led in scoring by Grace Lesko (18.1 PPG), who ranks second in the conference. Lesko also leads Mercy in rebounding (6.9 RPG). Amani Abuhatab is averaging 12.5 PPG and 4.3 rebounds per game. Sophia Hoyt is helping lead the defensive efforts with 2.0 blocks per game while grabbing 4.8 rebounds per game.

SERIES HISTORY
The Wildcats are 23-3 all-time against Mercy after beating the Mavericks 60-49 earlier this season. Daemen won both meetings last season, defeating the Mavericks 58-44 at home and 56-40 on the road.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS (7-16, 4-7 ECC)
STAC is coming off back-to-back wins, defeating Roberts Wesleyan 92-71 last Friday and Bridgeport 44-39 in their non-conference finale last Tuesday. The Spartans are led in scoring by Bailey Chapman (12.3 PPG), who is also leading the squad in rebounding (7.3 RPG) and is tied for the team lead in assists (2.0 APG). Cassidy Mahaney is averaging 8.4 PPG and 5.8 RPG.

SERIES HISTORY
The Spartans are the only team in the ECC against which the Wildcats have a losing record. STAC leads the all-time series history 14-13, but Daemen has won the last four meetings, including a 65-55 win back in December. Last season, the Wildcats won 58-50 at home and 72-53 on the road.

UP NEXT
Daemen will have a week off before heading to crosstown rival D'Youville for a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday, Feb. 22.

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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