AMHERST, N.Y. — Daemen University moved up to No. 3 in the final set of the official NCAA Division II Women's Basketball East Region rankings released Wednesday afternoon, putting itself in contention for a potential bid to the 2026 NCAA Division II Championship.


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.

With first-year head coach Nate Beutel at the helm, Daemen has posted a 21-3 overall record this season, including a 20-2 mark against regional opponents. The Wildcats own three wins against teams included in the East Region rankings this week, headlined by a 75-62 road win Jan. 1 at top-ranked Bentley. Daemen has also knocked off No. 5 Holy Family and No. 8 Mercy.

The No. 12 Wildcats are ranked in the NABC Division II Coaches poll. Daemen is ranked for the 10th consecutive week and the ninth time this season. It is tied for the program's highest ranking since the final rankings in April 2024.

The Wildcats are averaging an ECC-leading 72.3 points per game, while holding their opponents to 56.0 points per game, sitting second in the conference. Daemen leads the ECC in steals per game (15.88 SPG), ranking fifth nationally. Additionally, Daemen's 4.84 blocks per game are the best in the ECC and rank tied for 10th nationally. 
 
Daemen is led offensively by First Team All-ECC selection Ne'vaeh Buntley (Rochester, N.Y.), who averages 16.9 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game. The sophomore ranks third in the conference in scoring. ECC Defensive Player of the Year and first team all-conference selection Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) leads the conference in steals per game (3.5 SPG), also ninth nationally, and sits fourth in blocks (1.6 BPG), while averaging 12.6 PPG and 5.0 RPG. 

Third Team All-ECC honoree 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). Fellow third team selection Sophie Auer (Lewiston, N.Y.) is averaging 8.8 points per game, sitting tied for fourth on the squad. Auer also averages 4.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Julia Fontanillo (Valladolid, Spain) is tied for 10th in assists (2.7 APG). Buntley, Fontanillo, and Joline Raposo (Tampa, Fla.) are all tied for 10th in steals per game (1.7 SPG). 

The Wildcats play the winner of the first-round game between No. 4 seed D'Youville and No. 5 seed Staten Island in the first semifinal game on Saturday, March 7, at 12 p.m. The winner of the two semifinals will meet for the championship on Sunday, March 8, at 12 p.m. Daemen has won the past four consecutive ECC Tournament Championships.

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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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