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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
Justin Glover celebrates after a basket
Max Sacco
77
California (PA) CUP 6-2,1-1 PSAC
111
Winner Daemen Daemen 5-0,0-0 ECC
California (PA) CUP
6-2,1-1 PSAC
77
Final
111
Daemen Daemen
5-0,0-0 ECC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
California (PA) CUP 27 50 77
Daemen Daemen 51 60 111

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | CONTACT: Mary Margaret Johnson, Director of Athletics Communications | mmjohnso@daemen.edu

Triple Digit Thriller! Men's Basketball Downs #10 Cal (PA) 111-77

AMHERST, N.Y. – In a nationally-ranked battle between two of the top men's basketball teams in the nation, the #14/#11 Daemen University men's basketball dominated #10/#10 California University (Pennsylvania) from the jump and handed the Vulcans their second loss of the season with a 111-77 victory at Lumsden Gymnasium. The Wildcats remain undefeated on the year and move to 5-0 with the team's first win over a top-10 ranked team since topping #4/#3 West Liberty 98-83 on Nov. 16, 2019. This marks the first 5-0 start for Daemen since the beginning of the 2016-17 season. Cal (PA) moves to 6-2 on the year. 
 
It marked the first 100+ point game for the Wildcats this season and the first triple-digit score since Daemen's double-overtime win over University of the District of Columbia last season on Feb. 22, 2024.
 
The Wildcats never trailed in the game. All 11 players that stepped onto the court scored for the Wildcats. Redshirt sophomore Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y.) led all players with 25 points on the night. The Wildcats shot a season-best 59.4% from the field today and knocked down a season-high 41 shots from the field. Daemen out-rebounded Cal (PA) 42 to 23 tonight, marking the fourth straight game that the Wildcats snagged more rebounds than their opponents. Tonight's 19-board differential is the largest of the season for the Wildcats.
 
IMPACT PLAYERS
  • The only Wildcat to score in the double-figures in all five games this season, Bill was 84.6% from the field, banking 11-of-13 shots for a career-high 25 points. The redshirt sophomore added six rebounds – three offensive rebounds – along with two assists to his impressive stat sheet tonight.
  • Redshirt senior forward Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) finished with 16 points and was a perfect 100 across the board – 6-for-6 from the field, 2-for-2 beyond the arc and 2-for-2 from the free throw stripe. Hemphill snagged eight rebounds including six D boards, three assists and two steals.
  • Junior guard Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) totaled 12 points for the Cats after going 5-of-6 from the field and 2-of-2 beyond the arc.
  • A trio of Wildcats in graduate students Matt Becker (Fairfield, Conn.), Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) and junior Ronnie Williams (Tampa, Fla.) scored eight points tonight. Sophomore Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) finished with nine points after a pair of buckets and knocking down 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • The Wildcats kicked off the game in dominant fashion, going 11-4 after making three of their first five shots of the game. Daemen never trailed in the first and outscored the Vulcans by 20 off 10 points from Hemphill in the final seven minutes of the first half to take a commanding 51-27 lead into the break.
  • Hemphill was a perfect 5-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 beyond the arc in the first half. Bill led the Wildcats with 14 first-half points after going 7-of-9 from the field. Eight players scored for the Wildcats as Daemen shot an impressive 54.1% (20-of-37) from the field in the first 20 minutes of play.
  • The Wildcats doubled up the Vulcans – 63-31 – after opening the second half of play on a 12-5 roll. Daemen never took their foot off the gas, and with 3:49 left in the game, Ryan Heath (Rochester, N.Y.) forced a steal at midcourt and finished with a breakaway layup to score Daemen's 100th point of the game.
GAME NOTES
  • Daemen remains atop the Division II College Sports Communicators (D2CSC) East Region Poll. The Wildcats are ranked No. 14 in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) top-25 poll and are No. 11 in the D2CSC National Poll, released on Tuesday.
  • This was the first time the Wildcats and Vulcans met on the court.
  • Daemen committed a season-low eight turnovers tonight and only allowed six points off turnovers for Cal (PA). The Wildcats, however, capitalized with 19 points off 14 Vulcan turnovers.
  • The Wildcats scored 60 points off the bench tonight.
  • Seven Daemen players knocked down three's and combined for 12 triples on the night. Hemphill, Mason, Glover, Williams and Jackson Kulik (Webster, N.Y.) each banked two three's in the win.
  • 10 of Daemen's 11 players recorded rebounds tonight. The Wildcats out-rebounded Cal (PA) 42 to 23 
UP NEXT
Daemen will travel to play their third PSAC school in four games on Sunday, Dec. 1 when they play at Clarion University in a 3 PM tilt.
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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