AMHERST, N.Y. — Daemen women's basketball head coach Nate Beutel has announced the program's 2026-27 slate. 

The Wildcats will play 10 home games, 14 away games, and three neutral-site contests. 

Daemen kicks off its season with a trip to Michigan to play Saginaw Valley State on Nov. 9. The Wildcats then compete at the Redhawks Tip-Off Classic in Rochester, N.Y., hosted by Roberts Wesleyan. It begins against Felician on Nov. 13 in a rematch of last season's NCAA East Region quarterfinal. The following day, the team will play Saint Anselm. 

The Wildcats head to Gannon on Nov. 18 before traveling to take on Division I opponent Binghamton in an exhibition game on Nov. 21. Daemen will trek to Pennsylvania to play Shippensburg on Nov. 29.

ECC play begins on the road as the Wildcats take on Mercy (Dec. 3) and Molloy (Dec. 5). Daemen will host Adelphi in their home opener on Dec. 12 before welcoming American International to Lumsden Gymnasium on Dec. 16.

The Wildcats then fly south to Florida for the Lynn Holiday Classic (Dec. 19-20), playing a neutral-site game against Palm Beach Atlantic and a road game against Lynn. Following the holiday break, Daemen heads to Vermont to play Saint Michael's on New Year's Eve in their final non-conference tilt. 

Conference action resumes with road games against St. Thomas Aquinas (Jan. 7) and Queens (Jan. 9). Daemen is then home for three straight, hosting Molloy (Jan. 14), St. Thomas Aquinas (Jan. 16), and Roberts Wesleyan (Jan. 21). The team then travels across Buffalo to play rival D'Youville on Jan. 28. Staten Island visits Amherst on Jan. 30, before the Wildcats trek down I-90 to face Roberts Wesleyan on Feb. 4. 

Daemen then has four consecutive home contests, starting with matchups against Queens (Feb. 6) and the University of the District of Columbia (Feb. 11). Daemen then welcomes D'Youville (Feb. 18) and Mercy (Feb. 20). The regular season concludes with away games at UDC (Feb. 25) and Staten Island (Feb. 27).

The 2027 ECC Championships begin with the first round on March 3, hosted by the No. 3 and 4 seeds. The semifinals (March 6) and the final (March 7) will be hosted by the No. 1 seed. 

Daemen finished the 2025-26 season with an NCAA Division II-era-best 26-4 record, including a 15-1 conference record, and won its seventh straight ECC regular-season title. The Wildcats then won their fifth consecutive ECC Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they reached the East Region Finals. The program was ranked #10 in the final WBCA national rankings. 

The Wildcats return third-team All-ECC selection Sophie Auer (Lewiston, N.Y.), who averaged 9.1 points per game on 47.4% shooting. She also logged 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 4.2 rebounds per game. Cecilia Lapertosa (Whitesboro, N.Y.) is also back for a fifth year after being sidelined due to injury for most of last season. She started all 12 games she played in 2025-26, averaging 13.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.9 steals per game.

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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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