Geoff Schneider

Daemen Set to Play in ECC Title Game for Seventh Straight Season

3/7/2026 9:06:00 PM

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

CHAMPIONSHIP BOUND
The #12 (No. 1 seed) Daemen women's basketball team takes on No. 2 seed Mercy in the ECC Final on Sunday. The Wildcats advanced to the final with a 75-61 win over No. 5 seed Staten Island on Sunday. With the win, Daemen advances to the ECC Championship game for the seventh straight year and will look to win its fifth straight conference title. Mercy advanced to the title game after defeating No. 2 seed Molly 61-55. Tickets for the championship game will go on sale at 7 a.m. on Sunday.

LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats jumped to a 16-0 start and held a commanding 24-9 lead in the first quarter, and maintained control with a 46-point effort in the paint. Staten Island managed to close the gap slightly in the fourth quarter but could not overcome the early deficit. Ne'vaeh Buntley (Rochester, N.Y.) scored 24 points, converting 10 of her 19 field goal attempts, grabbed six rebounds, and recorded two steals. Sophie Auer (Lewiston, N.Y.) finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, including one block. Joline Raposo (Tampa, Fla.) logged 11 points, while dishing out three assists and logging two steals. Kyleigh Chapman (Canandaigua, N.Y.) contributed with five assists and added six rebounds. Shyla Montgomery (Brockton, Mass.) scored 10 points, making five of her seven field goal attempts, while logging three steals and collecting five rebounds.

DAEMEN IN THE ECC TOURNAMENT
The Wildcats are searching for their fifth consecutive ECC title, earning rings in 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. The team holds a 12-3 record in the ECC tournament. Daemen has earned six consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament bids from 2020 to 2025.

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.

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 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.

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 72.4 points per game, while holding their opponents to 56.2 points per game, sitting second in the conference. Daemen leads the ECC in steals per game (15.73 SPG), ranking fifth nationally. Additionally, Daemen's 4.73 blocks per game are the best in the ECC and rank tied for 10th nationally.

SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS (22-6, 15-1 ECC)
The Mavericks advanced to the final after defeating Molloy 61-55 in the semifinal. Mercy finished the regular season as co-champions with Daemen. Head Coach Scott Lagas was named ECC Coach of the Year. The Mavericks are led in scoring by ECC player of the year Grace Lesko (18.3 PPG), who ranks second in the conference. Lesko also leads Mercy in rebounding (7.2 RPG). Amani Abuhatab earned First Team All-ECC accolades and is averaging 14.0 PPG and 4.2 rebounds per game. Angelian Barrera earned Second Team All-ECC recognition after posting 11.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 1.2 blocks per game, ranking second on the team in the latter.

SERIES HISTORY
The Wildcats are 23-4 all-time against Mercy. The teams split the regular season series. The Wildcats defeated the Mavericks 60-49 on the road on Dec. 12 before falling 58-54 at home on Feb. 13. This will be the second postseason meeting between the programs. Daemen defeated Mercy 55-50 in the 2024 conference title game.

UP NEXT
Daemen will await its NCAA Tournament opponent. The selection show will air at 10:45 p.m. on Sunday.

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

Print Friendly Version