LAKELAND, Fla. – The fourth-ranked Daemen University men's basketball team collected its second straight win to begin 2025, defeating Alaska Anchorage 96-62 at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic hosted by Florida Southern College on Sunday evening. 

The Wildcats turned in a complete team effort as 11 different players recorded a point in the victory, and Daemen outscored Alaska Anchorage 38-24 in bench points.

IMPACT PLAYERS

• Redshirt-junior Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y.), a 204-25 All-American and the reigning ECC Player of the Year, led all players with 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the floor, while also pulling down 16 rebounds for his first double-double of the young season. Bill, the ECC Preseason Player of the Year, has scored in double figures in 13 consecutive games dating back to last season.

• Junior guard Ryan Heath (Rochester, N.Y.) scored a career-high 16 points, making 7-of-9 attempts from the floor, in 29 minutes of action.

• Reserve guard Ronnie Williams (Tampa, Fla.) also had a career night, scoring 13 points in 16 minutes off of the bench. The senior made 3-of-5 three-point attempts, a career-high for three-point makes in a game.

• Senior guard Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) scored 11 points for the second straight game to open the year, going 3-for-5 from deep while also dishing out a game-high five assists.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Daemen shot 75 percent from the floor (27-for-36) and 92.3 percent from beyond the three-point line (12-for-13) in the first half of play to build a 68-25 halftime lead.

• The Wildcat defense held Alaska Anchorage to a 32.1 percent (9-for-28) shooting clip across the first 20 minutes and held a 22-7 edge in total rebounds.

• Daemen led 50-7 with just over six minutes to play in the first period, but the Seawolves stayed steady as the final six minutes of the half saw an even 18-18 score for both sides.

• Alaska Anchorage outscored Daemen 37-26 in the second half of play, shooting 51.6 percent (16-for-31) from the floor.

• As a team, the Wildcats out-rebounded the Seawolves 40-24, including 13 boards on the offensive glass.

• Daemen made 15-of-26 three-point attempts (57.7 percent) as eight different players made a shot from beyond the arc in the contest.

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.

• Sunday's contest marked the first meeting between the Wildcats and Seawolves.

• Daemen has now won 33 consecutive regular-season contests, dating back to February 2024.

• Bill and Heath were both named to the 2025 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic Team for their individual performances during the weekend.

UP NEXT

The Wildcats host the East Region Challenge Presented by WNY Knee & Orthopedic Surgery PC on Nov. 14-15 inside Charles L. & Gloria B. Lumsden Gymnasium. During the weekend, Daeman will face off against Felician University on Friday, Nov. 14 before concluding the Challenge with a matchup against Saint Anslem on Saturday, Nov. 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.

Follow the Daemen University men's basketball program on Twitter and Facebook at @DaemenMBB.