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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
N_MacDonald_2023-24vs.RWU
Geoff Schneider
55
Post Post 10-2,2-0 CACC
71
Winner Daemen Daemen 11-4,2-1 ECC
Post Post
10-2,2-0 CACC
55
Final
71
Daemen Daemen
11-4,2-1 ECC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Post Post 25 30 55
Daemen Daemen 26 45 71

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | CONTACT: Tom McDermott, Director of Athletics Communications | tmcdermo@daemen.edu

Wildcats Ground Nationally-Ranked Eagles, 71-55

Daemen Picks Up Big Regional Win

AMHERST, N.Y. – Fifth year senior Nick MacDonald (Amherst, N,.Y.) scored 14 of his career-high 22 points in the second half to lead the Daemen University men's basketball team to a 71-55 victory over nationally-ranked Post University this afternoon in a non-conference game played at Lumsden Gymnasium on the Daemen campus.

Daemen, which is ranked eighth in the Division II College Sports Communicators (D2CSC) East Region poll, has won 10 of its last 12 games and improved to 11-4 overall. Post entered the game ranked in both the D2CSC and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II national polls for the first time in program history. The Eagles are ranked #18 by the NABC and #21 by the D2CSC. Post saw its five-game winning streak come to an end and dropped to 10-2.

IMPACT PLAYERS
  • MacDonald helped the Wildcats outscore the Eagles 45-30 in the second half.
  • MacDonald was 6-of-8 from the field in the second half and finished 8-of-13 from the field overall. He has now scored over 20 points in each of the last two games.
  • Graduate student Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.) came close to recording his fourth double-double of the year and finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.
  • Senior Justin Hemphill, the reigning East Coast Conference Player and Defensive Player of the Year, added seven points, nine rebounds, five assists and four blocks.
  • Senior Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) hit a clutch three-pointer late in the game and finished with six points and four boards.
  • Freshman Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) drilled two triples and totaled six points and four rebounds in 10 minutes off the bench.
  • Junior Bol Akot paced the Eagles with 12 points.

GAME NOTES
  • It was Daemen's second win over a nationally-ranked team this season, as the Wildcats knocked off No. 25 Mercyhurst University back on Nov. 15
  • It marked just the second all-time meeting between the two teams and this first since the 2014-15 season. Daemen has prevailed in both meetings.
  • Post went 15-13 (10-8 CACC) and lost in the opening round of the CACC Tournament last year. The Eagles were voted fourth in the CACC North preseason coaches' poll.
  • The Wildcats entered the game allowing just 73.3 points per game and has now held eight of its 15 opponents to less than 70 points.
  • Post, which entered the game averaging 81.1 points per game, was held to a season-low 55 points.
  • Both teams struggled to score during a physical first half.
  • Post took its largest lead of the game, 23-14, after junior Kyle Alcy made two free throws with 4:08 left before halftime, but a conventional three-point play by MacDonald sparked the Wildcats on a half-ending 12-2 run. A layup by MacDonald, following a steal by Atkins, just before the halftime buzzer capped the rally.
  • The teams traded baskets early in the second half and Daemen held a 36-32 lead when the Wildcats took control with 12 unanswered points. MacDonald scored seven of the 12 points and a triple by Philipkoski with 11:59 left capped the rally and gave the hosts a 48-32 lead.
  • Post came no closer than 13 points the rest of the way.
  • Post played pressure defense the entire game, but Daemen handled it well and the hosts committed just eight turnovers.
  • Daemen shot just 29-percent (8-28) in the first half, but connected on 15-of-29 shots (52%) in the second hald and finished 23-for-57 (40%) from the field overall. The hosts made 6-of-14 from downtown and canned 19-of-30 from the charity stripe.
  • Post shot just 33-percent (20-of-61) from the field overall and made just 4-of-22 from downtown. The Eagles canned 11-of-13 from the charity stripe.
NEXT JUMP BALL
Daemen closes out its non-conference schedule Saturday (Jan. 6) when it hosts Cheyney University.

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 men's basketball program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @DaemenMBB.


 
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