AMHERST, N.Y. – The No. 4 Daemen University men's basketball team improved to 5-0 with a 75-63 victory over No. 5 Fairmont State on Tuesday. It was the Wildcats' second win over a ranked opponent this year, following their season-opening triumph over No. 19 Lenoir-Rhyne on Nov. 1. Daemen has won 36 consecutive regular season contests, dating back to February 2024. It was a perfect 25-0 in regular season play last year.
 
Five Wildcats tallied double-digit points in the victory and combined for 67 of Daemen's 75 total points. The Wildcats shot 42% (25-of-59) from the field and knocked down 6-of-18 triples while outscoring the Fighting Falcons 19-4 on fast breaks and 36-20 in the paint.
 
IMPACT PLAYERS

• Guard Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) tallied a game-high 19 points, all of which came in the final 10 minutes as Daemen pulled away. The junior has scored at least 19 points in three consecutive contests. He posted 19 against Felician on Friday and a season-high 23 on Saturday versus Saint Anselm. Prior to this stretch, Philipkoski had reached the 19-point plateau in just three of his first 61 collegiate games.
• Redshirt junior Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y), an All-American and the ECC Player of the Year last season, recorded 16 points while going 6-of-10 from the field, grabbing 14 rebounds and producing a game-best and season-high tying three blocks. Bill, the ECC Preseason Player of the Year, has scored in double figures in 16 consecutive contests dating back to last season. This performance marked the All-American's third double-double of the year and 11th of his career.
• Redshirt senior Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) added 10 points, including the 1,000th of his career. The forward posted a game-high four assists, plus a season-best eight rebounds and four steals. Hemphill has scored in double figures in four of five games in this young campaign.
• Junior guard Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) contributed 10 points, including two made three-pointers, equaling Philipkoski for the most on the team. Like Hemphill, Glover has reached double digit points in four of five games this year. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Fairmont State claimed the early edge. The Fighting Falcons, aided by a pair of 6-0 runs, held a 14-8 lead after eight minutes of play. Daemen missed six of its first nine field goal attempts.
• Just six points were scored over the following 3:40, but they all belonged to the Wildcats. Four of those tallies were notched by junior Ryan Heath (Rochester, N.Y.), who tied the game at 14 with under nine minutes to play in the first half. Seven consecutive Fighting Falcons points followed to give Fairmont State a 21-14 advantage, but Daemen responded again. The Wildcats outscored the Fighting Falcons 15-10 over the final six minutes of the frame to cut their halftime deficit to two (31-29). After shooting 3-of-9 from the floor in the first eight minutes of the period, Daemen improved to 9-of-20 in the final 12.
• The first five minutes of the second half featured runs by both teams. Fairmont State scored the first six points of the frame to extend its lead to 37-29, but Daemen answered with 10 straight points to take a 39-37 advantage, its first of the game. The two titans proceeded to trade buckets and found themselves tied at 47-47 with just under 10 minutes to play.
• The next six minutes saw Daemen take control. The Wildcats outscored the Fighting Falcons 16-6 in that stretch, claiming a 63-53 lead with 3:34 remaining. Philipkoski was responsible for 10 of those 16 points. The junior then scored nine of Daemen's 12 points over the final 3:34, each of them coming from the foul line, as the Wildcats finished off a 75-63 victory.

GAME NOTES

• Daemen is ranked 4th in the NABC coaches' poll and is 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 third all-time meeting between Daemen and Fairmont State. The first two were both won by the Fighting Falcons in 1999 and 2001.
• The Wildcats have played ranked opponents in two out of their first five games in back-to-back campaigns. Daemen downed No. 11 Charleston and No. 10 California (Pa.) in the early going last year, and opened this season by beating No. 19 Lenoir-Rhyne before Tuesday's victory over No. 5 Fairmont State.
• Despite coming away with a 12-point win, Daemen only led for 9:36 compared to Fairmont State's 25:24. The Wildcats were ahead for the final 8:12 of game time.
• Daemen was 6-of-18 from beyond the arc. Glover and Philipkoski set the pace with two triples apiece.
• Daemen kept Fairmont State to 63 points, marking the third time in five games that the Wildcats have held an opponent to 63 or fewer this season. Alaska Anchorage managed just 62 on Nov. 2 while Saint Anselm also posted 63 in the Wildcats' most recent contest on Saturday.
• Daemen outrebounded Fairmont State 45-31. Its +14 rebounding margin was its second-best of the season, trailing the Wildcats' +16 mark against Alaska Anchorage on Nov. 2. Daemen has won the rebounding battle in four of five games this year.

UP NEXT
Daemen returns to action on Nov. 22 when it travels to Charleston, WV for a Noon tilt against Charleston. The Wildcats defeated the Golden Eagles 70-57 in Amherst last year in the two squads' only previous matchup. 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.