AMHERST, N.Y. — Daemen women's basketball moved up to #9 in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) NCAA Division II Coaches' Poll.  

The Wildcats are ranked for the 10th consecutive week and the 11th time this season. It is the program's first time in the top ten of the WBCA poll since March 2021, when it was ranked eighth. 

Daemen (24-3) won its fifth consecutive ECC title over the weekend. The Wildcats defeated Staten Island 75-61 in the semifinals last Saturday, then beat Mercy 73-68 in the final on Sunday. With the win, the Wildcats punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh straight year. Daemen earned the #3 seed in the region and will play #6 seed Felician in the NCAA East Region Quarterfinals on Friday at 12 p.m. at Southern Connecticut State. 

Daemen is 11-2 at home, 11-0 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). 

The Wildcats led the ECC in scoring, averaging 72.4 points per game, while holding their opponents to 56.6 points per game, second in the conference. Daemen also led the ECC in steals per game (15.67 SPG), ranking fifth nationally. Additionally, the Wildcats' 4.74 blocks per game led in the ECC and are tied for 13th nationally.  

Daemen is led offensively by First Team All-ECC selection Ne'vaeh Buntley (Rochester, N.Y.), who averages 17.3 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game. The sophomore ranked third in the conference in scoring and was also named ECC Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) led the conference in steals per game (3.4 SPG), also tied for 10th nationally, and was fourth in the ECC in blocks (1.6 BPG), being named ECC Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-ECC. The senior is also averaging 12.8 PPG and 5.0 RPG and was named to the ECC All-Tournament Team. 

Third Team All-ECC honoree Shyla Montgomery (Brockton, Mass.) is averaging 2.8 assists per game and finished eighth in the conference. The senior is also averaging 2.6 steals per game and was tied for second in the ECC. Fellow third team selection Sophie Auer (Lewiston, N.Y.) is averaging 8.8 points per game,  4.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Julia Fontanillo (Valladolid, Spain) ranks second on the team in assists per game (2.8 APG)

The Wildcats finished the regular season with a 22-3 record, including a 15-1 ECC mark. Daemen earned a share of the ECC regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference. Daemen ended the regular season with an 87-53 win at Roberts Wesleyan on Feb. 25. The Wildcats also defeated rival D'Youville 66-56 on the road on Feb. 22.

The Wildcats 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 and Golden Falcons will square off at 12 p.m. on Friday at Moore Field House. The winner will play the winner of #7 seed Mercy vs. #2 seed Bentley. 

---

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.