AMHERST, N.Y. – The Daemen University men's and women's basketball team revealed their exhibition game schedule which features four total games against some of the top Division I basketball teams in Western New York. 

The men's basketball squad will face the University at Buffalo in their lone exhibition game on Oct. 30 with tip-off set for 7 p.m. Last season, the Wildcats nearly upset their local neighbors, falling 71-67. Joey Atkins compiled with a 19 points, 10 rebound double-double for the Blue and White while Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Dylan Fasoyiro added in 15 and 12 points respectively. As for Buffalo, they are coming off a 4-27 season under now second-year head coach George Halcovage III. The two local Amherst-based schools have played each other the past three seasons and eight times under the tutelage of head coach Mike MacDonald.

The Wildcats are coming off a successful 2023-24 campaign in which they went 25-9 overall and 12-4 in East Coast Conference play and advanced to the Division II East Region Semifinals. Daemen set a program record for wins (25) in the NCAA Division II era (2015-present) and earned a berth in the East Region Tournament for the fourth time in program history. Daemen lost three of their top four scorers from the 2024 season in First Team All-ECC guard Dylan Fasoyiro, ECC Defensive Player of the Year Joey Atkins, and guard Nick MacDonald. The Wildcats return 11 players from last season, including welcoming back graduate guard Ryan Salzberg (Manlius, N.Y.) who missed the 23-24 season with an injury. Redshirt freshman Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) and junior Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.), who each earned Third Team All-ECC honors a year ago, are key returners for the Wildcats. Glover is the Wildcats' top returning scorer from a year ago after averaging 11.6 points per game, and Hemphill ranked second on the team behind only Atkins in rebounds (7.5 per game) and blocks (35). Graduate student Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) who led the team in triples (82) and Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) who had a breakout freshman campaign are also big returners for the Wildcats. Daemen added six players, four freshmen and two transfers, to bring the squad to 17 players for the 2024-25 season. 

The reigning East Region champion women's basketball team begins their three-game exhibition slate against Buffalo on Oct. 27. The Wildcats fell 58-42 to the Bulls last year with seniors Alahna Paige and Natalie Angeletti each scoring 10 points a piece for the visiting Cats. Daemen and Buffalo have faced each other each year since the 2021-22 season. The Blue and White continue their three-game exhibition slate on Oct. 29 when they head to the Salt City to tip-off against Syracuse University. The Orange are fresh off a berth to the Division I Women's Basketball Tournament and compiled a 24-8 record last season. This will mark the first meeting between the two sides on the women's basketball court. Daemen wraps up their exhibition slate on Nov. 1 against St. Bonaventure. The Bonnies went 4-27 last season and were led by Dani Haskell, the older sister of Josh Haskell on the Daemen men's basketball team. The Wildcats and Bonnies have not played one another since Dec. 2, 1987, in Olean, N.Y., with St. Bonaventure emerging victorious, 86-49. 

Coming off their second trip to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in four seasons, the Wildcat women posted a 23-8 overall record en route to their second East Region title. Daemen went 13-3 in ECC play and earned their third consecutive ECC Tournament title and fifth straight ECC regular season championship and kept the victories alive throughout the playoffs, taking down No. 3 seed Saint Rose 52-47 in the regional quarterfinals, No. 2 seed Assumption 68-58 in the semifinals, and No. 4 seed Jefferson 69-62 in the regional championship game. The Wildcats fell to No. 2 seed Texas Woman's University in the Elite Eight in St. Joseph, Mo. Daemen is without three of the winningest Wildcats in program history who were all lost to graduation in Natalie Angeletti, Kaytlyn Matz, and D2CCA Second Team All-American and D2CCA All-Region Player of the Year Alahna Paige, who also was named the 2024 ECC Player of the Year after an outstanding senior campaign where she finished as ranked second in total three-point field goals and three-point field goals made per game (3.26) among the Division II national leaders. Paige set a Daemen record with 101 made three-point field goals and totaled 666 points (fourth-most in program history and first in Daemen's Division II era). The Wildcats also graduated Gabby McDuffie, who earned Second Team All-ECC honors in 2024. Eight players return for the Wildcats, including 2024 Third Team All-ECC forward Claire Pikett (Holland, N.Y.) and Daemen's top rebounder Cecilia Lapertosa (Whitesboro, N.Y.). Pikett put together a standout sophomore campaign, starting all 31 games and ranked third in scoring (8.4 ppg) and rebounding. Lapertosa averaged 6.8 boards per game and led the Wildcats with 38 total blocks last season. The Wildcats added seven players in the offseason, five freshmen and two transfers, to bring the roster to 15. 
  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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