Geoff Schneider

Daemen Hosts CSI in ECC Semifinals Saturday

3/6/2026 2:50:00 PM

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

PRE-TOURNAMENT PRESS CONFERENCE

POSTSEASON PLAY
The #12 Daemen women's basketball team earned the #1 seed in the ECC tournament and will host the #5 seed, Staten Island, in the semifinals on Saturday. The Wildcats finished the regular season with a 22-3 record, including a 15-1 mark in conference play. The Dolphins defeated the #4 seed D'Youville on the road on Wednesday to reach the semis.

CO-REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS
Damen 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 the tiebreakers. It marks the seventh consecutive season that Daemen has earned at least a share of the title.

DAEMEN IN THE ECC TOURNAMENT
The Wildcats are searching for their fourth consecutive ECC title and have won five of the last six tournament titles, earning rings in 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. The team holds an 11-3 record in the ECC tournament. Daemen has earned six consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament bids from 2020 to 2025.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) 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 Ne'vaeh Buntley (Rochester, N.Y.) on the first team. Shyla Montgomery (Brockton, Mass.) and Sophie Auer (Lewiston, N.Y.) 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.

LAST TIME OUT
Daemen wrapped up the regular season with an 87-53 win over Roberts Wesleyan on Feb.25. The Wildcats capitalized on the Redhawks' 32 turnovers, converting them into 49 points. Daemen also dominated inside, scoring 50 points. Buntley scored 28 points, making 11 field goals. Kyleigh Chapman (Canandaigua, N.Y.) recorded eight assists and collected four rebounds. Montgomery added a season-high 17 points and tallied three steals, while Pikett blocked three shots and contributed seven points. Reece Beaver (Busti, N.Y.) added 10 points and three steals.

NATIONALLY-RANKED 'CATS
Daemen women's basketball is ranked #12 in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) NCAA Division II Coaches' Poll. The Wildcats are ranked for the ninth consecutive week and the 10th time this season. It is tied for the program's highest ranking since Daemen was ranked #12 in April 2024. 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).

MOVING UP IN THE EAST REGION
Daemen 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. East Region rankings for March 4, 2026 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.

IN THE RANKINGS
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.

SCOUTING THE DOLPHINS (12-17, 7-9 ECC)
Staten Island finished the regular season in fifth place in the ECC standings after defeating Queens and Molloy in their final two contest. CSI then rallied from 21 down to earn a 60-55 win over D'Youville in the first round of the tournament. Kyra Rose leads the Dolphins in scoring (13.6 PPG), assists (3.1 APG), and steals (1.6 SPG), while ranking second in rebounding (7.6 RPG). Shonyae Edmonds earned Third Team All-ECC after finishing second in scoring (11.6 PPG) and leading the squad in rebounding (8.6 RPG). Racky Kane is averaging 8.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 1.8 assists per game.

SERIES HISTORY
Daemen has a perfect 12-0 record against Staten Island all-time after sweeping the regular season series. The Wildcats beat CSI 78-52 at home on Jan. 11 and 78-75 in overtime on the road on Feb. 8. The teams will battle in the postseason for the second straight season and third time overall. Last season, Daemen defeated CSI in the ECC Championship game by a score of 76-68. The Wildcats also earned a 64-52 win in the 2023 semifinals.

UP NEXT
If they advance, the Wildcats will play the winner of the other semifinal game between the No. 2 seed Mercy and the No. 3 seed Molloy, which will be played at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Lumsden Gymnasium.

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

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