AMHERST, N.Y. — The No. 18 Daemen University women's basketball team is one of ten teams in the East Region listed as under consideration for NCAA bids in the first NCAA Division II women's basketball rankings, as released by the regional advisory committee. 

The East Region consists of the top teams from the East Coast Conference, the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, and the Northeast-10 Conference, and the regional rankings are used to determine at-large bids to the East Regional portion of the NCAA Tournament following conference tournaments at the end of the season.

The 10 teams in the East Region, listed alphabetically, are: American International (15-8), Assumption (17-6), Bentley (18-3), Daemen (20-3), Felician (19-6), Holy Family (19-3), Mercy (17-6), Saint Anselm (12-8), Saint Michael's (11-11), Southern Connecticut State (18-5)

The No. 18 Wildcats are ranked in the NABC Division II Coaches Poll for the seventh consecutive week and the eighth time this season. 

Daemen is 20-3 this season, including a 13-1 record in ECC play. The Wildcats fell to Mercy 58- 54 last Friday, but bounced back with a 71-50 win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Sunday. The victory helped Daemen reach 20 wins for the fifth consecutive season and the sixth time in the last seven years, with the exception being the shortened 2020-21 season. The Wildcats lead the ECC in scoring (71.9 PPG) and have held their opponents to a conference-leading 56.1 PPG. Daemen also leads the league in steals per game (16.0), ranking fifth nationally, and blocks per game (5.0), sitting 10th nationally. 

The Wildcats are 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). 

The Wildcats are led in scoring by Ne'vaeh Buntley (Rochester, N.Y.), who is averaging 16.6 PPG, ranking third in the ECC. Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) is averaging 12.5 PPG, leads the ECC in steals per game (3.6 SPG), and averages 5.2 rebounds per game. Sophie Auer (Lewiston, N.Y.) is averaging 9.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. 

Shyla Montgomery (Brockton, Mass.) is tied for third in the conference in assists (3.1 APG) and is second in steals (2.4 SPG), while averaging 8.3 PPG. Julia Fontanillo (Valladolid, Spain) is tied for fifth in the ECC in assists (2.9 APG), and Buntley is tied for eighth in steals (1.9 SPG). Daemen saw early contributions from Cecilia Lapertosa (Whitesboro, N.Y.), who has been sidelined since January due to injury, but was averaging 13.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 2.0 blocks per game. 

Daemen is back in action Sunday, heading to rival D'Youville for a 1 p.m. contest. 

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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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