COLCHESTER, VT. – Redshirt senior forward
Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) and graduate student guard
Ryan Salzberg (Manlius, N.Y.) each set new season-highs in scoring as they propeled the No. 4/6 Daemen University men' s basketball team over Saint Michael's, 69-61, in the final day of the 2024 Doc Jacobs Classic Saturday afternoon at the Ross Sports Center.
With the win, the Wildcats improved to 11-0 while the Purple Knights fell to 4-9. Daemen is now one of five remaining undefeated teams in the nation as well.
IMPACT PLAYERS
• Hemphill and Salzburg each set new season-highs in scoring with 22 and 15 points respectively. Hemphill also led the 'Cats on the glass with a game-high eight rebounds.
• For Salzburg, he connected on four shots from deep on seven attempts to lead the Wildcats efforts from beyond the arc.
• Graduate student forward
Matt Becker (Fairfield, Conn.) dished out a game-high six assists while redshirt sophomore center
Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y.) notched a team-high two blocks. Both big men also tallied nine points in the win.
• Graduate student guard
Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) knocked down a pair of 3-pointers to move into sole possession of second place all-time for career 3-pointers with 281.
• Abdur-Rahman De Leon led the Purple Knights in scoring with 18 points while his teammate, Nolan Marold, hauled in seven rebounds.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Down 10-5 early, the Wildcats took their first lead of the game as a Hemphill make from the charity stripe ignited a 7-0 spurt that pushed Daemen ahead, 12-10.
• Both sides exchanged scored during the middle part of the frame and found themselves tied 23-23 with less than six minutes to play. The Wildcats toom over as they scoreds 13 of the final 15 points of the first half to enter the locker room ahead, 36-25. Buffalo natives Hemphill and junior guard
Justin Glover combined to score eight of the final 13 points of the half for the Blue and White.
• After trading buckets to begin the second half, the Purple Knights flipped the game to their favor as a 3-pointer from De Leon uncorked a 16-2 run that put the hosts ahead, 46-45, with 10:26 to play.
• Daemen reclaimed the lead for good soon after as Hemphill notched back-to-back layups during a 9-3 run for the 'Cats that made it 54-49.
• The Owls attempted one last push to upset the Blue and White as they cut the Wildcats advantage down to as little as five, 64-59, with 1:47 to play. Still, the Blue and White were unfazed as they sealed the game with a pair of late free-throw makes and a Hemphill layup.
• Daemen went 24-of-56 (.429) from the field and knocked down seven triples to end the afternoon. The Wildcats also dominated the paint as they outscored Saint Michael's. 34-8.
• Saint Michaels's shot .346 (18-of-52) from the floor but were near perfect on the free-throw line, going 17-of-19.
GAME NOTES
• Today marked the sixth all-time meeting between the two sides and first contest between the Wildcats and Purple Knights since last season's NCAA Division II Championship East Regional semifinals. Daemen is now 4-2 all-time against Saint Michael's and 2-2 when playing the Purple Knights in Vermont.
• Entering this weekend, the Wildcats were ranked No. 4 in the most recent National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) National Poll while in the Division II College Sports Communicators (D2CSC) National Poll, the Wildcats remained at the No. 6 spot.
• Daemen is now 3-0 this season against schools from the NE-10.
• Hemphill scored 20-or-more points for the first time since Jan. 26, 2024, at Molloy.
• Today marked the first time this season that Daemen won by 10-or-less points.
• Now at 281 triples, Mason needs 36 makes from deep to pass Jeff Redband and secure the program record for career 3-pointers.
• Daemen finished the 2024 calendar year with an overall record of 26-5.
UP NEXT
Daemen is off until 2025 and will kick-off the new year on the road against Franklin Pierce on Jan. 3. Tip-off is set for 12 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.
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