AMHERST, N.Y. - East Region champion Daemen University will be the No. 7 seed in the 2024 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Elite Eight and will face second-seeded Texas Woman's University in the national quarterfinals at 3:30 p.m. Monday, March 25 at the St. Joseph Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Missouri. The NCAA revealed the seeding and an updated bracket for the Elite Eight following the conclusion of the eight regional championships across the country earlier today. 

Daemen advanced to the Elite Eight with a 69-62 win over Jefferson University in yesterday's East Regional final, improving their record to 23-7 in the process. Daemen was led to the title by senior guard Alahna Paige (Rochester, N.Y.), the East Coast Conference and East Region Player of the Year, and senior forward Natalie Angeletti (Panama, N.Y.) who was named to the East Regional's All-Tournament Team. The Wildcats, who captured their third consecutive ECC championship earlier this month, head to the Elite Eight riding an eight-game winning streak. 

Their reward is a meeting with the TWU Pioneers who claimed the program's first-ever South Central Region championship with a 65-51 win on their home court over the University of Texas at Tyler. The Pioneers stand at 32-4 this season and will enter the Elite Eight ranked seventh in both the Division II College Sports Communicators and Women's Basketball Coaches Association national polls. 

The winner of the Daemen-TWU matchup advances to the national semifinals (Wednesday, March 27) to face the winner of Monday's first quarterfinal, featuring third-seeded Ferris State University and sixth-seeded University of Tampa. Daemen defeated Ferris State in a non-conference meeting in early January. 

On the other side of the Elite Eight bracket, top-seeded Gannon University faces eighth-seeded California State University San Marcos at 7 p.m. Monday, followed by the 9:30 p.m. nightcap with fourth-seeded Georgia Southwestern State University facing fifth-seeded Minnesota State University.

Daemen, which earned its fifth consecutive NCAA tournament berth, is advancing to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the second time. The Wildcats previously advanced in 2021 when, as the No. 8 seed, they bowed out top-seeded and eventual national champion Lubbock Christian University.

Additional information, including a full game preview will be available at daemenwildcats.com in the coming days. 

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.