#4 Wildcats Travel To West Virginia, Pennsylvania For 2 Games

11/21/2025 11:30:00 AM

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Daemen plays its first true road games of the season, trekking to the mountains of West Virginia to face the Charleston Golden Eagles in a Saturday matinee, and then back north to Pennsylvania for a Monday night date with the California Vulcans. The Wildcats are off to a 5-0 start and have won 36 consecutive regular season games dating back to the 2023-24 season. Both Charleston and Cal figure to provide stiff tests as both were picked to finish in the top three of their respective conferences.

WHAT A RIDE
The Wildcats are coming off the most successful season in program history when they posted a 28-1 overall record, won the ECC regular season and tournament championships and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the fifth time. Daemen rattled off 28 straight victories to start the season, earning the distinction of being the last remaining unbeaten team across all three levels of NCAA basketball. Along the way, they ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll for the first time in program history. Their 85-64 win over Roberts Wesleyan on March 1 gave the Wildcats a perfect 16-0 mark in ECC play; they became just the fourth ECC team ever and the first since C.W. Post in 2008-09 to finish the regular season undefeated. The Wildcats went on to earn ECC tournament wins over fifth-seeded Staten Island and second-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas, the latter giving Daemen its first-ever ECC tournament crown after five runner-up finishes. The Wildcats were awarded hosting rights for the NCAA Division II Championship East Regional, entering the tournament as the No.1 seed. They promptly knocked off eighth-seeded Bridgeport in the opening round, but their bubble burst in the regional semifinals against St. Thomas Aquinas - the teams' fourth meeting of the season.

RETURN OF THE MAC
Mike MacDonald returns for his 12th season on the Daemen bench - his 29th as a collegiate head coach. MacDonald was named the ECC, NABC District and BCANY Division II Coach of the Year last season after leading Daemen to a 28-1 record. He was also the recipient of the Clarence "Big House" Gaines Award given to the top coach in all of Division II basketball by collegeinsiders.com. MacDonald has led Daemen to a 237-84 record during his tenure, including eight 20-win seasons and five NCAA tournament berths. He enters this road trip just six wins shy of 500 for his career.

HIGH PRAISE
With 13 players returning from last season, including their top four scorers (all of whom earned All-ECC honors), Daemen opens the season at No. 4 in the NABC preseason coaches' poll. The Wildcats were one of only two teams to garner first-place consideration, joining preseason No. 1 and defending national champion Nova Southeastern. The No. 4 ranking is Daemen's highest to start a season since transitioning to the NCAA Division II level more than a decade ago. Daemen has also been selected first in the ECC preseason coaches' poll released in mid-October. It marks the third time in the last four seasons that Daemen has been picked to win the ECC.

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS
Redshirt junior center Benjamin Bill headlines the Daemen returners after earning ECC Player of the Year and consensus All-American honors last season. Bill averaged 16.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while setting a new program record for single-season field goal percentage (.708), numbers only emphasized by the fact he came off the bench in all but one game, and averaged just 22.7 minutes per game. Big things are expected again from the Hamburg, N.Y. native as he was a unanimous selection as the ECC Preseason Player of the Year.

THEY'RE BACK TO??!!
Fellow All-ECC selections Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.), Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) also return to the fold. Hemphill, a redshirt senior forward who also earned All-Region accolades, averaged 11.9 points and was the first player in program history to lead the team in total rebounds (215), assists (116) and steals (43) in the same season. He already ranks sixth in program history for career rebounds with 641, and enters his final collegiate season just 55 points shy of 1,000. Glover and Philipkoski are back to man the backcourt, along with junior Ryan Heath who appeared in all 29 games off the bench a season ago. Glover, a 5-foot-9 senior, shot 50% from the field and 42.7% from three-point range while producing 9.6 points per game. The 6-foot-4 Philipkoski, who was named the 2023 New York State Player of the Year in Class A, averaged 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game last season.

WHAT'S NEW
The Wildcats' roster also features several high-profile newcomers, including sophomore guard Jaiden Harrison (Buffalo, N.Y.), the all-time leading scorer in Western New York high school basketball history. Harrison spent his first collegiate season at Division II Anderson University (S.C.), but headed back to Buffalo where he joins fellow Bishop Timon-St. Jude High School product Nakyhi Harris (Buffalo, N.Y.) and St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute graduate Jaymeir Goosby (Buffalo, N.Y.) with the Wildcats.

DOWNTOWN TUNE UP
Daemen tuned up for the 2025-26 regular season by defeating Division III Nazareth 75-48 in exhibition action on Oct. 25. The game was played at KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo - home to the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament First and Second Rounds - as part of a doubleheader with the Syracuse Orange and Buffalo Bulls in the nightcap. The Wildcats dominated the glass with a 48-23 rebounding advantage, and went 12-for-30 from three-point range in the win. Benjamin Bill posted a double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Zach Philipkoski canned five three-pointers as part of his 16-point outing to lead the way. It marked Daemen's third excursion to KeyBank Center. The Wildcats earned a thrilling 83-81 win over Wilmington (Del.) on Nov. 23, 2019, and suffered a three-point setback (83-80) to Franklin Pierce on Dec. 18, 2021. Daemen head coach Mike MacDonald sports a 19-12 lifetime record in the building, achieving the most wins of any basketball coach in the venue's history.

FUN IN THE SUN
Daemen opened the season with a pair of impressive wins in Lakeland, Fla. at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, a 10-team, classic-style tournament that has become the premier event to tip-off the NCAA Division II college basketball season. The Wildcats opened with a gritty, 75-69 win over #19 Lenoir-Rhyne on Nov. 1, getting 19 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks from All-American big man Benjamin Bill to lead the way. Justin Hemphill (14 points, seven assists), Zach Philipkoski (13 points) and Justin Glover (11 points) all reached double figures in a game that featured 28 lead changes. The following night, the Wildcats went bonkers from three-point range, shooting 15-for-26 from downtown, including a torrid 12-for-13 in the first half, en route to a 96-62 rout of Alaska Anchorage. Bill posted his first double-double (17 points, 16 rebounds) of the season, and Ryan Heath chipped in 16 points and three steals as both were named to the all-tournament team. It marked Daemen's second invitation to the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, having last participated in the event - then held in St. Joseph, Mo. - to open the 2019-20 season.

EAST REGION CHALLENGE WINS
For the 10th time in the last 12 seasons, Daemen hosted a four-team regional challenge event with Roberts Wesleyan (ECC), Saint Anselm (NE10) and Felician (CACC) visiting Lumsden Gymnasium. Daemen improved to 19-1 all-time in the tournament, running their East Region Challenge winning streak to 16 straight games after downing Felician (92-75) and Saint Anselm (80-63). Junior guard Zach Philipkoski was named the tournament MVP after averaging 21.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists over the two games. Philipkoski scored 13 of his game-high 23 points against Saint Anselm in the second half, including 10 straight during a game-deciding 17-3 run. He was joined on the all-tournament team by Benjamin Bill who scored 20 points and grabbed 10 boards during the Wildcats' 17-point win over Felician.

TOP 5 TAKEDOWN
#4 Daemen was the last team standing in a big, early season matchup with #5 Fairmont State on Nov. 18. After trailing 31-29 at the half, Daemen outscored the Falcons by 14 in the second stanza, ultimately scoring a 75-63 win. Zach Philipkoski led Daemen with 19 points, all of which came in the game's final 10 minutes. His three-pointer at the 9:18 mark gave Daemen a 50-47 lead, and the Wildcats would not trail for the remainder of the contest. Benjamin Bill posted another double-double (16 points, 14 rebounds) and Justin Hemphill notched 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
During Daemen's 75-63 win over #5 Fairmont Stater on Nov. 18, redshirt senior forward Justin Hemphill recorded the 1,000th point of his career. He becomes the 29th player in team history to reach the 1,000 point plateau. The Buffalo, N.Y. native has tallied 1,003 points, 670 rebounds, 266 assists, 134 steals and 106 blocks in 104 career games played. He is one of only seven players in team history with at least 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 200 assists, and ranks sixth all-time for total rebounds.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Second-year head coach James Long leads the UC Golden Eagles who were picked third in the MEC preseason coaches' poll. The Golden Eagles return seven players, including two starters, from their 2024-25 squad that went 18-10 overall, but must replace their top three scorers. They opened the season last weekend with a pair of wins at the Ron Wilson Classic, downing Mansfield (107-57) and Millersville (89-84), before suffering a 90-60 loss at Cal (Pa.) earlier this week. Sophomore guard Matthew Shelton, who started 24 of 28 games last season, is averaging a team-high 13.7 points per game and is one of four double-figure scorers.

SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game marks just the second all-time meeting between Daemen and Charleston. Daemen scored a 70-57 win when the teams met for the first time last season, with UC ranked #11 in the NABC Division II poll. Justin Hemphill (17 points, 13 rebounds) and Benjamin Bill (12 points, 10 rebounds) each posted double-doubles in the win.

SCOUTING THE VULCANS
Under the leadership of veteran head coach Danny Sancomb, California (Pa.) was picked third in the PSAC West preseason coaches' poll. The Vulcans return nine players from their 2024-25 team that went 18-12 overall and advanced to the semifinal round of the PSAC Championship tournament. Incumbent starters Jordyn Buchanan and Dalman Alexander are among the returners, although the Vulcans' top three scorers are gone. Cal opened the season with back-to-back losses as part of the MEC/PSAC Conference Challenge, including an 84-67 setback to #11 West Liberty. They got into the win column, and did so in a big way, with a 90-60 win over Charleston (W.Va.) on Nov. 19. Buchanan is averaging a team-high 19.0 points per game, pacing five double-figure scorers. The Vulcans play at Concord (Saturday, 3 p.m.) before hosting Daemen Monday night.

SERIES HISTORY
Monday's game marks just the second all-time meeting between Daemen and Cal. The Wildcats raced to a 111-77 win in the teams' first-ever meeting which came last season. Cal was ranked #10 in the NABC Division II poll at the time. Benjamin Bill (25 points, 11/13 FG), Justin Hemphill (16 points, eight rebounds) and Justin Glover (12 points) led the way.

WHAT'S NEXT
#4 Daemen returns to Lumsden Gymnasium to host Clarion for a noon tip-off on Saturday, Nov. 29.

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