COLONIA, NJ – Following the conclusion of regular season play this afternoon, the East Coast Conference Women's Basketball Championship bracket is now set. The six teams to compete for the 2025 ECC tournament title and automatic bid into the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship are No. 1 Daemen, No. 2 Staten Island, No. 3 Mercy, No. 4 D'Youville, No. 5 Molloy, and No. 6 District of Columbia.
Tournament action begins on Wednesday, March 5 with a pair of First Round games at on-campus sites. After clinching the ECC Regular Season Championship for a sixth straight year, Daemen will host the tournament Semifinals and Final at Lumsden Gymnasium on its campus in Amherst, NY on Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9.
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
For the sixth year in a row, the Wildcats (19-7, 15-1 ECC) have earned a First Round bye, also marking the fourth straight season in which they have earned the No. 1 seed and the third consecutive year in which they will serve as hosts of the final tournament Semifinals and Final. Three-time defending ECC champion Daemen has excelled in postseason play in recent years, winning four of the last five ECC titles (’24, ’23, ’22, ’20) while advancing to the championship game in 2021.
Daemen will take on the winner of No. 5 Molloy/No. 4 D'Youville, who will play in the First Round this Wednesday, March 5 at 7:00 PM in Buffalo, NY. The Wildcats went 3-1 in regular season competition against the pair, sweeping Molloy, 74-65 and 69-64, and splitting with D'Youville, 65-59 and 58-67.
The Saints and Lions split their regular season series, both winning at home, with Molloy earning a 66-53 win in Rockville Centre, NY on January 12 and D'Youville taking a 66-57 win in Buffalo, NY on February 16. The Saints (10-15, 8-8 ECC), who handed Daemen its only conference loss of the regular season on February 22, have now made back-to-back conference tournament appearances in their first two seasons of Division II postseason eligibility after transitioning from Division III and earn their first hosting opportunity while the Lions (15-13, 8-8 ECC) are back in the conference tournament for the first time since 2022; Molloy has reached the ECC Final five times in program history, winning it all in 2008, 2010, and 2017.
On the other side of the bracket, Staten Island (20-8, 13-3 ECC) joins Daemen with a First Round bye as the No. 2 seed. The Dolphins made back-to-back conference tournament appearances in their first two seasons of Division II postseason eligibility after transitioning from Division III, reaching the ECC Semifinals in 2023.
CSI will play the winner of No. 6 District of Columbia/No. 3 Mercy, who will play in the First Round this Wednesday, March 5 at 7:00 PM in Dobbs Ferry, NY. The Dolphins went 4-0 against that opposition in the regular season, sweeping the Mavericks, 60-58 and 63-49, and the Firebirds, 62-54 and 76-67.
Mercy (17-9, 11-5 ECC) won both contests against District of Columbia during the regular season, earning an 80-66 home victory on January 11 and a 65-69 road victory on February 15. The Mavericks are back in the bracket for the fifth consecutive year and enter the tournament coming off of their most successful postseason in program history in which they reached the ECC Final for the first time. The Firebirds (10-16, 8-8 ECC) return to the tournament for the fourth year in a row and look for their second ECC title, with the first coming in 2014.
Live Coverage
Each game of the championship will be broadcast live on the ECC Sports Network. The games will also be available on the ECC Network app. Download the ECC Network app on any Apple or Android mobile device or on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, and Roku OTT streaming devices.
X updates will also be available throughout the tournament, at @ECCSports. Tournament recaps, live stats, box scores, and all other pertinent tournament information will also be available on the Championship Central page.
2025 East Coast Conference Women's Basketball Championship
First Round – Wednesday, March 5 at No. 3 and No. 4 seeds
7:00 PM – No. 6 District of Columbia at No. 3 Mercy (@ Dobbs Ferry, NY)
7:00 PM – No. 5 Molloy at No. 4 D'Youville (@ Buffalo, NY)
Semifinals – Saturday, March 8 (@ No. 1 Daemen)
12:00 PM – Winner of No. 5 Molloy/No. 4 D'Youville at No. 1 Daemen
2:30 PM – Winner of No. 6 District of Columbia/No. 3 Mercy vs. No. 2 Staten Island
Final – Sunday, March 9 (@ No. 1 Daemen)
12:00 PM – Winners of the Semifinals