AMHERST, N.Y. — Daemen women's basketball is ranked #15 in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) NCAA Division II Coaches' Poll. 

The Wildcats are ranked for the eighth consecutive week and the ninth time this season, moving up from #18 last week. Daemen currently holds a 21-3 record, including a 14-1 ECC mark. 

Daemen is 9-2 at home, 10-0 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). 

Daemen is averaging an ECC-leading 71.7 points per game, while holding its opponents to 56.1 points per game, also leading the conference. The Wildcats lead the ECC in steals per game (15.96 SPG), ranking fifth nationally. Additionally, Daemen's 4.92 blocks per game are the best in the ECC and rank tied for ninth nationally.  

The Wildcats defeated rival D'Youville 66-56 on the road this past Sunday. Daemen went 1-1 the previous weekend, first falling 58-54 to Mercy on Feb. 13, before bouncing back with a 71-50 win over St. Thomas Aquinas on senior day Feb. 15. Daemen earned two conference wins on the road to start February, defeating the University of the District of Columbia 79-51 on Feb. 6 and Staten Island 78-75 in overtime on Feb. 8.

Daemen's 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. 

The Wildcats defeated Texas A&M Kingsville 80-75 in overtime at the Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas, Nev., on Dec. 20. Daemen completed a 4-0 stretch to start ECC play in December, defeating St. Thomas Aquinas, Mercy, Molloy, and Queens. 

Earlier in non-conference action, Daemen earned a 66-61 victory over #24 nationally ranked Holy Family on Nov. 30. The Wildcats also defeated Chestnut Hill, Goldey-Beacom, and Wilmington.

Daemen is led offensively by Ne'vaeh Buntley (Rochester, N.Y.), who averages 16.2 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game. The sophomore ranks third in the conference in scoring. Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) leads the conference in steals per game (3.5 SPG) and sits fourth in blocks (1.6 BPG), while averaging 12.9 PPG and 5.1 RPG. 

Shyla Montgomery (Brockton, Mass.) is tied for fourth in the conference in assists (3.0 APG) and is tied for second in steals (2.6 SPG). Julia Fontanillo (Valladolid, Spain) is tied for 10th in assists (2.7 APG). Buntley is ninth in steals (1.8 SPG), Joline Raposo (Tampa, Fla.) is 10th (1.7 SPG), while Fontanillo sits tied for 11th (1.6 SPG)

The Wildcats wrap up the regular season on the road Wednesday, traveling to Roberts Wesleyan for a 6 p.m. contest.

---

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.