AMHERST, N.Y. – The No. 2 seeded Mercy University Women's Basketball Team takes on No. 3 seeded Molloy University in an ECC Women's Basketball Championship Semifinal on Saturday, March 7th at 2:30 p.m. at Daemen University. The winner of Saturday's game will face the winner of No. 1 Daemen/No. 5 Staten Island in the Final on Sunday, March 8th at 12 p.m.
Who, When and Where
Date/Time: Saturday, March 7th 2:30 p.m.
Records: #2 Mercy (21-6, 15-1 ECC), #3 Molloy (13-16, 10-6 ECC)
Location: Amherst, N.Y. (Daemen University)
Date/Time: Sunday, March 8th 12 p.m.
Records: Winner of No. 2 Mercy/No. 3 Molloy vs. Winner of No. 1 Daemen/No. 5 Staten Island
Location: Amherst, N.Y. (Daemen University)
Championship Central
Angelina Barrera - ECC Podcast
March 6th - Press Conference Link at 3 PM
Ticket Prices
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
All Games
$10 – Adults
$5 - Students with ID, Senior Citizens, Children
Children under 5 free for all games
*Tickets must be purchased at the link above. Cash will not be accepted so walkup tickets at the venue still must be purchased through the ECC website (QR code will be available at the gate).
*Due to the seating capacity of the tournament venues, it is recommended that tickets be purchased in advance. The ECC will not guarantee that tickets will be available at the door.
Last Meeting vs. Molloy
Mercy earned a 72-57 win over Molloy on February 22, 2026.
Last Meeting vs. Daemen
Mercy earned a 58-54 win at Daemen on February 13, 2026.
Last Meeting vs. Staten Island
Mercy earned a 66-50 win over Staten Island on January 17, 2026.
Scouting the Mavericks
Mercy is coming off a 73-47 win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday. The Mavericks were led by junior Grace Lesko who had a game-high 30 points. Mercy is making their sixth straight appearance in the ECC Championship and have earned a bye to the Semifinals for the second time in three seasons. Mercy went 21-6 during the regular season and 15-1 in ECC play. The Mavericks have their most wins since 1985 and recorded their most ECC wins in program history. Mercy earned a share of their first-ever ECC Regular Season Championship. The Mavericks look to advance to the Final for the second time in three seasons and look to win their first-ever ECC Championship. Mercy recorded double-digit ECC wins for the fourth straight season for the first time in program history. With two wins the Mavericks would have their most wins in a season since 1976. Mercy is 40-58 all-time against Molloy and have won the last three meetings. The Mavericks are 4-23 all-time against Daemen and earned a split against the Wildcats this season. Mercy is 6-5 all-time against Staten Island, sweeping the season series this year. The Mavericks are currently ranked No. 7 in the latest NCAA East Regional Rankings and are looking to make the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons. Mercy has been led by ECC Player of the Year and First Team All-ECC selection junior Grace Lesko who is averaging a team-high 18.4 points per game with a team-high 7.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game on 44.2 percent shooting. Lesko is currently second in the ECC in points per game. First Team All-ECC selection junior Amani Abuhatab is second on the team with 13.8 points per game with 4.2 rebounds per game. Senior Kyla Nembach averages 4.0 points per game and dishes out 2.7 assists per game. Senior Megan Marcotte is averaging 2.8 points per game and averages 3.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. Sophomore Sophia Hoyt is averaging 5.3 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game and sophomore Morgan Miller is netting 6.4 points per game. Second Team All-ECC selection senior Angelina Barrera is averaging 11.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game on 49.4 percent shooting. Barrera recorded her 1,000th career point at STAC on January 31st, becoming the 22nd Maverick in program history to reach the mark. Barrera recorded her 100th career block at Molloy on January 24th, becoming the fifth Maverick in program history to reach the mark. Head Coach Scott Lagas was named ECC Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons and recorded his 100th career win against STAC on February 28th. Lesko was named ECC Player of the Week five times, ECC Defensive Player of the Week once and MBWA Player of the Week once. Abuhatab was named ECC Player of the Week once and Barrera was tabbed ECC Defensive Player of the Week twice.
Mercy enters the 2025-26 season picked second in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 18-10 last season. The Mavericks advanced to the ECC Championship Semifinals for the second straight year for the first time in program history. Mercy has won 17 or more games for three straight seasons for the first time since 1982-86. The Mavericks have won double-digit ECC games for three straight years for the first time ever. Mercy is looking to win their first ECC Championship and qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons. Mercy looks to qualify for the ECC Championship for the sixth straight season.
Leading the 12 returners for Head Coach Scott Lagas is senior Angelina Barrera who was named First Team All-Met and First Team All-ECC last season. The 2024 ECC Defensive Player of the Year averaged 13.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Junior Grace Lesko returns after being named ECC Rookie of the Year, Third Team All-ECC and All-Met Honorable Mention last year. Lesko netted 11.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game in 2024-25. Junior Amani Abuhatab is back after being named Second Team All-ECC and All-Met Honorable Mention last year. Abuhatab recorded 12.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game a year ago. Senior Kyla Nembach also returns after sitting out last year due to injury. Nembach averaged 4.9 points and 1.4 assists per game during the 2023-24 season.
Also, returning is junior Molly Boek who averaged 5.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Sophomores Caitlin Leary and Morgan Miller also return after averaging 3.1 and 2.5 points per game, respectively. Senior Megan Marcotte returns in the frontcourt after netting 2.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per game last year and juniors Paige Fourtin and Layla Greene are back in Dobbs Ferry after averaging 1.9 and 1.1 points per game last year. Sophomores Sophia Hoyt and Gabrielle Martin return after combining to play in 35 minutes with six points and six rebounds.
Lagas also brings in six newcomers to the fold. Sophomore Haylee Ellwood joins the Mavericks from fellow ECC school Daemen University. Ellwood was named All-League twice at Sacred Heart Academy. Sophomore Ella Summers transfers in from Australia and freshman Saige Youngberg joins the Mavericks from Worcester Academy in Massachusetts. Freshman Allie Regan was an 1,000 point scorer at Framingham High School in Massachusetts and freshman Ella Wilson joins the Mavericks after scoring over 1,500 points at Lake Lehman High School. Rounding out the newcomers is freshman Emily Thornton who was a three-time Regional Champion and one-time State Runner-Up at Albany Academy.
Scouting the Lions
Molloy is coming off a 71-50 win over No. 6 seed District of Columbia in the ECC Championship First Round on Wednesday. The Lions were picked seventh in the ECC Preseason poll after going 16-15 last season, falling in the ECC Championship Semifinals. Molloy looks to advance to the Final for the first time since 2022 and are looking to win their first ECC Championship since 2017. Molloy is led by First Team All-ECC selection Colleen McCullagh who is averaging an ECC-best 19.5 points per game with 7.6 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game. Second Team All-ECC honoree Sophia Yearwood is second on the team with 14.2 points per game and Third Team All-ECC recipient Rosa Rizzitelli is third with 11.3 points per game. Sharmeela Ugbogbo leads the team with 9.3 rebounds per game and 1.8 blocks per game and Rizzitelli dishes out a team-high 5.3 assists per game.
Scouting the Wildcats
Daemen is coming off an 87-53 win at Roberts Wesleyan on February 25th. The Wildcats were picked first in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 22-8 last season, winning the ECC Championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Daemen looks to advance to the Final for the seventh straight season and win their fifth straight ECC Championship. The Wildcats are ranked No. 12 nationally in the WBCA Poll and are ranked No. 3 in the NCAA East Regional Rankings. The Wildcats are led by First Team All-ECC selection Ne'vaeh Buntley who is averaging a team-high 16.9 points per game with 5.4 rebounds per game. ECC Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-ECC selection Claire Pikett is second on the team with 12.6 points per game and Third Team All-ECC selection Sophie Auer is third with 8.8 points per game.
Scouting the Dolphins
Staten Island is coming off a 60-55 win at No. 4 seed D'Youville in the First Round of the ECC Championship on Wednesday. The Dolphins were picked third in the ECC Preseason Poll after going 21-9 last season, falling in the ECC Championship Final. Staten Island looks to advance to the Final for the second straight year and looks to win their first ECC Championship. Staten Island is led by Second Team All-ECC selection Kyra Rose who averages a team-high 13.6 points per game with 7.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Third Team All-ECC recipient Shonyae Edmonds is second on the team with 11.6 points per game and leads the team with 8.2 rebounds per game. Dana Phelan is third on the team with 10.1 points per game.
