Max Sacco

Men's Basketball Heads to Post for Weekend Contest

11/22/2024 10:30:00 AM

By: CONTACT: Max Sacco, Assistant Athletics Communications Director | msacco@daemen.edu

ROAD TRIPPIN'
The #20/#13 Daemen University men's basketball team heads to the Nutmeg State for their first road game of the 2024-25 campaign to face Post University in the third meeting between the two sides in program history. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. The Wildcats three wins to open the 2023-24 campaign are the most since they started the regular season 5-0 during the 2016-17 campaign.

TOP 20 CATS
The Daemen University men's basketball team is ranked in both the National Association of Bas- ketball Coaches (NABC) and Division II College Sports Communicators (D2CSC) National Polls, as announced Tuesday afternoon. The Wildcats were tabbed 20th by the NABC and 13th in the most recent D2CSC poll. The 'Cats are the only East Coast Conference members to be ranked in both polls and it is the first time Daemen has been ranked in the NABC since they were tabbed 24th during the week of Feb. 14, 2022. As for the D2CSC Poll, the Wildcats improved their ranking by one, shifting up to 13th after being in 14th last week. Regionally, the Blue and White were tabbed first in the East Region for the second week in a row, totaling 59 points and receiving five of a possible six first place votes. Nova Southeastern topped both polls and received every first place vote in both as well.

KING OF THE (HEMP)HILL
Redshirt senior forward Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) was tabbed the ECC Player of the Week, the league office revealed this past week. In Daemen's lone game of the week, Hemphill posted a double-double for the first time this season, leading all players with 17 points on 6-of-12 shoot- ing from the field. The Daemen forward added 13 rebounds - nine defensive boards - with three assists and two blocks in the 'Cats 70-57 win over Charleston. Hemphill is the first member of the Blue and White to notch a double-double since Joey Atkins totaled 14 points and 11 rebounds at Staten Island (March 9, 2024).

WEEKEND WARRIORS
Dating back to last season, Daemen is 22-9 when playing on the weekend. Specifically on Saturday, Daemen has amassed an impressive 10-1 mark since the 2023-24 campaign. Daemen eclipsed the 70 point threshold in every Saturday contest last season, highlight- ed by a 90-50 victory over Cheyney back on Jan. 6, 2024. In the win against Cheyney, the Wildcats attempted a season-high 37 3-pointers as well. This year, Daemen is 3-0 on week- ends, highlighted by a 96-55 thrashing of Saint Anselm on Nov. 9. The 96 points against the Hawks are the most points in a Saturday contest for Daemen over the last two seasons.

CHART TOPPER
For the second time in three seasons, Daemen was tabbed first in the East Coast Confer- ence Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league office announced on Oct. 21. The Wildcats were tied with longtime ECC rival St. Thomas Aquinas College for first place in the poll with both teams garnering 72 points. The Spartans earned four first-place votes while the Wildcats received three. The College of Staten Island rounded out the top three with 64 points and the remaining two first place votes. Sitting atop the poll for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign, Daemen will look to make their fifth consecutive trip to the ECC Championship and qualify for the NCAA Division II Championship for the second year in a row and fifth instance since the 2018-19 season.

SCOUTING POST (4-1, 0-0 CACC)
The Eagles opened the year winning four of their first five games, highlighted by a 2-0 weekend at the Bridgeport Tip-off Tournament. Post has faced three other ECC teams, defeating Mercy, 83-69, and Staten Island, 86-71, in their last game. Their lone loss came to at the time RV/#19 St. Thomas Aquinas, 88-76, on Nov. 16. Bol Akot and Deng Deang have led the Eagles in scoring with 18.0 and 17.6 points per game respectively. Deang has also helped on the glass, averaging 7.6 rebounds per game.

SERIES HISTORY
Daemen leads the all-time series, 2-0, and won the last meeting, 71-55, on Jan. 3, 2024.

UP NEXT
Daemen closes out the month of November at home with a test against #4/#6 California (Pa.) on Nov. 26. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m.

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

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