Olivia Frzop

Wildcats Set to Battle Tigers in the Sweet 16

3/15/2026 1:43:00 PM

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

KEEP DANCING!
The #9 (#3 seed) Daemen women's basketball team will take on #21 (#6 seed) Holy Family in the NCAA East Region Final on Monday. The Wildcats are competing in the NCAA Tournament for the seventh consecutive season and have reached the Sweet 16 for the third time in program history and the second time in the past three seasons. Monday's game is a rematch of last season's East Region Semifinals, in which HFU earned a 68-55 victory over the Wildcats. Daemen defeated #2 seed Bentley, 58-55, in the regional semifinals on Saturday to advance. The Tigers defeated #1 seed Southern Connecticut State, 61-51, in their semifinal matchup.

LAST TIME OUT
#3 seed Daemen (26-3, 15-1 ECC) edged #2 seed Bentley (23-5, 17-1 NE10), 58-55, at James Moore Fieldhouse in the NCAA East Region Semifinals on Saturday. The Wildcats secured the win with a strong defensive performance, forcing 22 turnovers and converting them into 18 points. Despite the Falcons' 17-point surge in the third quarter, the Wildcats held onto their lead with a decisive 18-point fourth quarter, outscoring the Falcons in the paint, 38-30. Ne'vaeh Buntley (Rochester, N.Y.) scored 16 points and collected five rebounds while dishing out two assists. Joline Raposo (Tampa, Fla.) scored 12 points on five-of-eight shooting and grabbed four rebounds. Shyla Montgomery contributed 10 points, five steals, and two rebounds. Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) finished with 11 points, two blocks, and three steals. Kyleigh Chapman (Canandaigua, N.Y.) added four points and recorded a team-leading five assists.

DAEMEN IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
The Wildcats are dancing for the seventh straight year after earning the ECC's automatic bid with the tournament championship victory. Daemen is 10-5 all-time in NCAA Tournament play after Saturday's win, and was 2-1 in the tournament last season. The Wildcats were the #2 seed and defeated #7 seed Jefferson (70-48) in the regional quarterfinals before falling to #3 seed Holy Family (68-55) in the semifinals. Daemen won the East Region in 2024, before falling to Texas Woman's in the Elite Eight. Daemen won the program's first-ever East Region title and trip to the Elite Eight in 2021, and made it back to the East Region championship game, where they fell in a two-point heartbreaker to Pace in the 2022 tournament. The Wildcats advanced to the East Regional in 2023 but fell to No. 6 Jefferson in the quarterfinals.

FIRST ROUND TAKEDOWN
Daemen defeated #6 seed Felician (22-8, 15-5 CACC), 75-62, in the East Region Quarterfinals on Friday. Daemen capitalized on Felician's 31 turnovers, converting them into 28 points. The Wildcats maintained control with a strong defensive performance, recording 18 steals and limiting Felician to only two successful three-point shots. Raposo tallied a team-leading 15 points, including three three-pointers, while also collecting four steals. Pikett scored 14 points and added three blocks, grabbed five rebounds, and contributed to a strong defensive effort. Buntley scored 14 points and recorded seven rebounds, showcasing her presence on the boards. Julia Fontanillo (Valladolid, Spain) tallied 11 points while dishing out two assists and logging two steals. Montgomery added five steals and scored eight points.

ECC TITLE REMAINS IN AMHERST
Daemen won its fifth straight conference title last weekend. The Wildcats defeated Staten Island 75-61 in the semifinals and Mercy (73-68) in the title game. Buntley was named ECC Tournament Most Outstanding Player. The sophomore averaged 22.0 points, 4.0 steals, and 4.5 rebounds per game in the Wildcats' two games. Pikett and Sophie Auer (Lewiston, N.Y.) were named to the All-Tournament Team. Pikett averaged 14.5 points, 2.5 steals, and 4.5 rebounds per contest. Auer posted 12.5 points per game on 53.8% shooting, 7.0 rebounds per game, and 2.0 assists per game.

CO-REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS
Daemen claimed a share of the ECC regular season title with Mercy after defeating Roberts Wesleyan on Feb. 25. The Wildcats earned the No. 1 seed through tiebreakers. This marks the seventh consecutive season that Daemen has earned at least a share of the title.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Pikett was named East Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Pikett started all 25 games for the Wildcats during the regular season, playing 29.4 minutes per contest. Pikett led the ECC in steals (87) and steals per game (3.5), also sitting ninth nationally in the latter. The forward is fourth in the ECC in blocks (41) and tied for third in blocks per game (1.6). Additionally, Pikett averaged 12.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game, ranking third on the team in all three categories. She recorded five-plus steals in six contests this season, including a career-high eight in the season-opener against Wilmington (DE).

ALL-CONFERENCE WILDCATS
Four Wildcats earned All-ECC recognition. Pikett was joined by Buntley on the first team. Montgomery and Auer landed on the third team. Daemen has produced at least one all-conference selection in each of the previous 10 seasons. Buntley led the Wildcats in scoring (16.9 PPG) on 41.1% shooting, ranking third in the ECC in points per game during the regular season. She started all 25 games, averaging a team-leading 29.6 minutes per contest, while also recording 5.4 rebounds per game, second-best on the team, and 1.7 steals per game. Montgomery started all 22 games she played during the regular season. She led the Wildcats and ranked tied for fourth in the ECC in assists per game (3.0). The senior finished second on the team and second in the ECC in steals per game (2.6), while averaging 8.8 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Auer started all 25 of Daemen's games during the regular season, ranking fourth on the squad in minutes per game (28.0). She finished second on the team in field goal percentage (45.9%), averaging 8.8 points per game and tying for fourth on the squad. Auer also averaged 4.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, ranking tied for 15th in the ECC in the latter.

'CATS JUMP INTO THE TOP 10
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. The team is 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).

IN THE RANKINGS
The Wildcats are averaging 72.0 points per game and led the ECC in scoring during the regular season. Daemen is holding its opponents to 56.7 points per game and finished second in the conference. Daemen led the ECC in steals per game, averaging 15.6 SPG, which ranks fifth nationally. Additionally, Daemen is averaging 4.7 blocks per game, which also led the ECC, and ranks tied for 13th nationally.

SCOUTING HOLY FAMILY (29-4, 20-0 CACC)
The Tigers knocked off the #5 seed Assumption (58-38) in the quarterfinals and the #1 seed Southern Connecticut State (61-51) in the semifinals to advance to the regional championship for the second straight season. HFU earned an at-large bid and the #5 seed in the tournament after falling to Felician in the CACC conference title game. Holy Family is led by CACC Player of the Year, Taylor Hinkle, who is averaging a double-double with 14.2 points and 13.4 rebounds per game. Kaelah Carter was named Third Team All-CACC and has averaged 9.5 points, 1.1 steals, and 2.8 rebounds per contest. Skyler Searfoss also grabbed a spot on the third team, posting 5.4 points, a team-leading 4.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. Ella Brown was tabbed CACC Rookie of the Year, and is averaging 6.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

SERIES HISTORY
The teams have met five times during Daemen's Division II era, with the Wildcats holding a 2-3 record in those contests. Daemen defeated the then #24-ranked Tigers 66-61 on Nov. 30 at Lumsden Gymnasium. The teams will also be squaring off in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. Last season, the Tigers then ended the Wildcats' season in the East Region Semifinals with a 68-55 win in Waltham, Mass. Daemen earned a 55-53 road win over Holy Family during the 2024-25 regular season.

UP NEXT
If Daemen advances, it will play in the Elite Eight on Tuesday, March 24, at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Wildcats' opponent would be announced after the teams are reseeded.

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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