AMHERST, N.Y. - Lumsden Gymnasium on the campus of Daemen University will serve as the host site for the semifinal and final rounds of the 2026 East Coast Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships with six total games slated for Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8.

Daemen earned the right to host the tournaments based upon the performances of its men's and women's basketball teams this season, which both clinched their respective regular season conference titles last month. This marks the second consecutive season that Daemen will be hosting the ECC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships.

The ECC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships get underway Wednesday, March 4 with first round games hosted at other campus sites. Teams winning their first round contests will advance to the weekend rounds here at Daemen. The championship winners earn automatic bids to their respective NCAA Division II Championship tournaments later this month. A broader look at the tournament schedule is as follows...
 

Wednesday, March 4 (at higher seeds)
5 p.m.	Women's First Round	#6 District of Columbia at #3 Molloy
7 p.m.	Women's First Round	#5 Staten Island at #4 D'Youville
7 p.m.	Men's First Round	#6 Roberts Wesleyan at #3 Staten Island
7:30 p.m.	Men's First Round	#5 D'Youville at #4 Molloy
Saturday, March 7 (at Lumsden Gymnasium, Amherst, N.Y.)
12 p.m.	Women's Semifinal #1	#1 Daemen vs. #4 D'Youville/#5 Staten Island
2:30 p.m.	Women's Semifinal #2	#2 Mercy vs. #3 Molloy/#6 District of Columbia
5 p.m.	Men's Semifinal #1	#1 Daemen vs. #4 Molloy/#5 D'Youville
7:30 p.m.	Men's Semifinal #2	#2 St. Thomas Aquinas vs. #3 Staten Island/#6 District of Columbia
Sunday, March 8 (at Lumsden Gymnasium, Amherst, N.Y.)
12 p.m.	Women's Finals	Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2
3:30 p.m.	Men's Finals	Winner of Semifinal #1 vs. Winner of Semifinal #2

All ticket sales are conducted via the East Coast Conference online ticket office, powered by Ticket Sauce at tickets.eccsports.org. No cash is accepted at tournament sites.

Each round of the tournament will feature pre-sale tickets for friends and families. Tickets for semifinal round games go on sale to the general public at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 5. Tickets for final round games go on sale at 7 a.m. on Sunday, March 8. In addition, Lumsden Gymnasium will be cleared between each contest. All ticket sales are for single games only. 

Additionally, all tournament games will be broadcast live on FloCollege, the official streaming platform of the ECC. A subscription is required. 

X updates will also be available throughout the tournament, at @ECCSports. Tournament recaps, live stats, box scores, and all other pertinent tournament information will also be available on the respective Championship Central pages at eccsports.org. 

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The Daemen men posted a perfect 16-0 record in conference play to secure their second consecutive ECC regular season title. They will enter postseason play with a 29-1 overall record, leading all NCAA Division II men's teams in wins, while being ranked No. 4 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll. 

The Wildcats have won 38 consecutive ECC regular season games, and have posted a 56-2 overall record since the start of the 2024-25 season. They are looking to repeat as conference tournament champions after winning the title for the first time in program history last season. In last year's tournament, the Wildcats knocked off fifth-seeded Staten Island (90-57) and second-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas (88-80) to cut down the nets on their home floor. 

The Wildcats have qualified for the ECC Championship in each of the 11 seasons since the program gained full NCAA Division II membership status. Daemen boasts an all-time ECC Championship record of 11-9 with six final round appearances, including the last five tournaments. 
 

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The Daemen women went 15-1 in ECC play this season, sharing the ECC regular season championship with the Mercy Mavericks. It marked the seventh straight season that Daemen has owned or shared the regular season title. The Wildcats earned the top seed for the ECC Championship tournament by virtue of the league's tiebreaker system. 

Daemen will enter postseason play with a 22-3 overall record, and they are ranked No. 15 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division II poll. They enter the ECC Championship as the four-time defending champions. 

Daemen has qualified for the ECC Championship in nine consecutive seasons. The Wildcats boast an all-time ECC Championship record of 11-3 with five championships and six finals appearances to their credit. 

 

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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.

Follow Daemen Athletics on X, Facebook and Instagram at @DaemenAthletics; Follow Daemen Women's Basketball on X and Instagram at @DaemenWBB; Follow Daemen Men's Basketball on X, Facebook at @DaemenMBB and Instagram at @Daemen_MBB.