LAKELAND, Fla. – The #4 Daemen University men's basketball team earned a season-opening 75-69 victory over #19 Lenoir-Rhyne at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic hosted by Florida Southern College on Saturday. The Wildcats have won 32 consecutive regular season contests, dating back to February 2024. They were a perfect 25-0 in regular season play last year.
Four Wildcats tallied double digit points in the victory and combined for 57 of Daemen's 75 total points. Each of Daemen's five starters played at least 29 minutes. The Wildcats shot 46% (29-of-63) from the field and knocked down 8-of-26 triples while notching 11 more assists and committing five fewer turnovers than the Bears.
IMPACT PLAYERS
- Redshirt junior Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y.), an All-American and the ECC Player of the Year last season, recorded a game-high 19 points while going 9-of-12 from the floor and grabbing seven rebounds, which tied for the team lead. Bill, the ECC Preseason Player of the Year, has scored in double figures in 12 consecutive games dating back to last season.
- Redshirt senior Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) followed with 14 points. The forward posted a game-high seven assists and tied Bill for the team lead with seven rebounds. Hemphill, who marked his 100th collegiate appearance on Saturday, dished out at least seven assists for the fourth time in his career.
- Junior guard Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) added 13 points and six rebounds while playing 31 minutes, equaling his highest total from last season when he appeared exclusively as a reserve. Philipkoski made his third career start and first since January 2024.
- Junior guard Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) scored 11 points and was the only player on either team to make at least three three-pointers.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Daemen led for 14:19 of the first half, compared to 3:13 for Lenoir-Rhyne. Bill recorded the Wildcats' first points of the season with a layup 16 seconds in. Daemen's largest lead of the period was seven when it was on top 24-17 with 10:38 to go following a 10-3 Wildcats run.
- The Bears outscored the Wildcats 19-11 across the final 10 minutes of the first half, including a Julian Dozier three pointer with 1:50 left which gave Lenoir-Rhyne a 34-32 lead, its first advantage since it was 8-7 less than four minutes in. The Bears finished the frame ahead 36-35.
- The first portion of the second half featured runs by both teams. Daemen began the period by scoring 11 of the first 14 points to take a 46-39 lead through 2:15. The Bears answered with 10 in a row, claiming a 49-46 advantage over the next four minutes. The Wildcats followed that streak with a 13-3 run and held a 59-52 lead with less than eight minutes remaining.
- Lenoir-Rhyne stayed within striking distance for the rest of the game, including cutting Daemen's advantage to one (67-66) with under two minutes to play. A Bill dunk then made it 69-66. On the ensuing Bears possession, they had a look at a potential game-tying corner three, but Ryan Heath (Rochester, N.Y) sailed in for a closeout block to keep his team ahead. The Wildcats sealed their maiden win at the free throw line.
GAME NOTES
- Daemen began the campaign ranked 4th in the NABC preseason coaches' poll and was one of two programs to receive a first-place vote, along with defending national champion Nova Southeastern. The Wildcats returned 13 players from last year's 28-1 squad.
- The Wildcats were picked to finish first in the East Coast Conference preseason poll for the third time in the last four years.
- Today marked the first meeting between the Wildcats and Bears.
- Despite Lenoir-Rhyne hanging tough, Daemen led for 29:12 compared to the Bears' 7:40.
- The Wildcats were 8-of-26 from beyond the arc with Glover leading all players with three triples.
- Daemen shot 46% from the field, a clip the Wildcats met or exceeded in a remarkable 22 of 29 games last season. For the season, the 2024-25 Wildcats shot 52% from the floor.
- The Wildcats secured victory despite being outrebounded by the Bears 39-35. Daemen lost the rebounding battle just six times last year.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats remain in Lakeland for their second matchup of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic at 8 p.m. on Sunday against Alaska Anchorage.
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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