AMHERST, N.Y. – For the seventh consecutive week, the No. 3/6 Daemen University men's basketball team topped the latest Division II College Sports Communications (D2CSC) East Region Poll, as released Monday afternoon in the first regional poll of the 2025 calendar year. The East Region consists of teams from the East Coast Conference, Northeast-10 Conference and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. The Wildcats have now been ranked in 78 of the last 85 D2CSC East Region Polls dating back to January 2018.
The Wildcats topped the poll with 60 points and received all six first place votes for the fifth straight week, dating back to the week of Nov. 25. Pace retained their second-place spot and garnered 54 points despite losing their first game of the year with a 64-62 setback against Southern New Hampshire on Jan. 5. Three NE10 schools rounded out the top-five with Adelphi (47 points), Assumption (43) and Southern New Hampshire (34 points) closing out the top half of the poll. ECC rival St. Thomas Aquinas (31 points), Thomas Jefferson (22 points), Caldwell (20 points), Post (12 points) and Dominican (N.Y.) (7 points), who were not ranked in the last D2CSC East Region Poll, represented the remainder of the chart. This season, Daemen is 2-0 against schools featured in the latest D2CSC East Region Poll with wins against Post (Nov. 23, 78-59) and St. Thomas Aquinas (Dec. 13, 84-55).
Currently one of four undefeated teams remaining across the country, Daemen leads the nation in field goal percentage defense (.362) and ranks third nationally in both scoring defense (60.1) and scoring margin (22.6). Individually, the 'Cats have four players averaging 8.0 points per game or more, led by redshirt sophomore
Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y.) with his 16.6 ppg. The center also leads the ECC and is ranked third nationally for field goal percentage at .717. Bill and redshirt senior forward
Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) have led the 'Cats efforts on the glass as Bill is currently third in the ECC for offensive rebounds per game at 3.09 orpg and Hemphill is currently third for defensive rebounds per game at 5.00 drpg.
Daemen will wrap up their season-long five game road swing with a trip downstate, starting with a conference tilt on Long Island against Molloy. Tip-off from Rockville Centre, N.Y., is scheduled for 7 P.M. on Jan. 10.
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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