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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
Zach Philipkoski readies to shoot a free throw
Geoff Schneider
81
Winner Daemen Daemen 6-0,0-0 ECC
79
Charleston (WV) UCM 2-2,0-0 MEC
Winner
Daemen Daemen
6-0,0-0 ECC
81
Final
79
Charleston (WV) UCM
2-2,0-0 MEC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Daemen Daemen 43 38 81
Charleston (WV) UCM 42 37 79

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Philipkoski's Late-Game Heroics Give Wildcats Win on the Road

CHARLESTON, W. VA. – A late second-half surge, capped by a tip-in from Zach Philipkoski with five seconds left, gave the fourth-ranked Daemen University men's basketball team an 81-79 road win over the University of Charleston on Saturday afternoon.

Saturday's non-conference match-up featured 12 lead changes and six total ties on the scoreboard as the Wildcats escaped with their first true road win of the 2025 season. 

IMPACT PLAYERS

  • Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.), a junior guard, tallied 16 points in the win and was one of two Wildcats with multiple three-pointers in the game.

  • Redshirt-junior Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y.), a 2024-25 All-American and the reigning ECC Player of the Year, led all players with a game-high 25 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the floor, while also pulling down 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the young season. Bill, the ECC Preseason Player of the Year, has scored in double figures in 17 consecutive games dating back to last season.

  • Senior guard Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) chipped in a season-high 14 points, making 4-of-8 shots from the floor, including two three-pointers.

  • Redshirt-senior Justin Hemphill rounded out the double-digit scorers for Daemen, finishing with 11 points while filling the stat sheet with six rebounds, six assists, and four steals.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

  • Daemen out rebounded Charleston 34-25 in the game, leading to 24 second-chance points.

  • The Wildcats held a sizable 46-30 scoring advantage in the paint, however, the Golden Eagles shot 56.3 percent in the game compared to a 44.6 percent shooting clip for Daemen.

  • Charleston's bench provided a spark for the home team as five reserves combined to score 30 points in the contest.

GAME NOTES

  • Daemen is 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 return 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.

  • Friday's contest marked just the second all-time meeting between the Wildcats and Golden Eagles. Daemen has won both games in the home-and-home series..

  • Daemen has now won 37 consecutive regular season contests, dating back to February 2024.

UP NEXT

The Wildcats remain on the road to take on California (Pa.) at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 24, in California, Pa, at the Convocation Center.


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.


 
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