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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
Justin Glover dribbles up the courr
79
Winner Daemen Daemen 12-0,4-0 ECC
60
St. Thomas Aquinas STA 6-4,3-1 ECC
Winner
Daemen Daemen
12-0,4-0 ECC
79
Final
60
St. Thomas Aquinas STA
6-4,3-1 ECC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Daemen Daemen 41 38 79
St. Thomas Aquinas STA 25 35 60

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | CONTACT: Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for Communications/Operations | 716-839-8385 | mmiranto@daemen.edu

Men's Basketball Beats STAC, Climbs Atop ECC Standings

SPARKILL, N.Y. – The No. 3 Daemen University men's basketball team improved to 12-0 overall and 4-0 in East Coast Conference play with a 79-60 road victory over St. Thomas Aquinas on Sunday. The Wildcats avenged their only loss of last season, a defeat at the hands of the Spartans in the NCAA DII Championship regional semifinal. Daemen has won 43 consecutive regular season contests, dating back to February 2024, and was 25-0 in regular season play last year.
 
At 4-0, the Wildcats moved into sole possession of first place in the ECC. They came in tied atop the standings with the Spartans.
 
The Wildcats were without All-American center Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y.) who suffered an injury just five minutes into their 83-65 win Friday night at Mercy. Bill, who entered the weekend leading Daemen in both scoring and rebounding, is expected to miss an extended period of time. 
 
Each of Daemen's five starters reached double figures and combined for 67 of Daemen's 79 points. The Wildcats shot 48% (29-of-60) from the field while knocking down 8-of-23 three-pointers (35%). They outscored the Spartans 42-18 in the paint and 17-10 in transition.
 
IMPACT PLAYERS
  • Junior Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) led all scorers with 18 points on 6-of-14 shooting. The guard tied his season-high mark of 11 rebounds. He posted his second double-double of the year (15 points and 11 rebounds vs. Clarion Nov. 29) and fifth of his career. Philipkoski's five assists tied for the game high and his second-best total of the campaign.
  • Senior guard Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) followed with a season-high 17 points and went 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, equaling his highest total of made threes this year. Glover dished out five assists, tying his best mark of the year which he has reached in three consecutive games. 
  • Redshirt senior Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) added 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, which equaled his largest total of the season. Like Philipkoski, Hemphill notched his second double-double, along with a 17-point, 13-rebound showing against California (Pa.) on Nov. 24. 
  • Redshirt junior Phil Nwugwo made the first start of his career in place of Bill. The forward tallied 10 points on 4-of-8 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds. Nwugwo has reached double figures in three consecutive games after scoring at least 10 points in just one of his first nine appearances. He had four performances of 10 points or more prior to this season, and has equaled that total this year.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Daemen controlled the game early on. The Wildcats raced to a 19-12 lead after 5:30 of game time, connecting on eight of their first 12 field goal attempts and two of their first four tries from distance. Both triples belonged to Glover, while Hemphill added five points and Ryan Heath (Rochester, N.Y.) and Nwugwo chipped in four apiece. The scoring then slowed on each side. After 31 total points in the first 5:30, there were just 11 combined tallies over the following 5:30. Daemen led 24-17 with nine minutes remaining in the first half.
  • The Wildcats then put together an 8-2 run to extend their lead to 13 points (32-19). Glover nailed his third three-pointer of the game and Hemphill converted on his first triple in four games as part of that stretch. Daemen's largest lead of the period proved to be 16 points, which they reached on a Jaiden Harrison (Buffalo, N.Y.) three with less than one minute to go. The Wildcats took that 41-25 advantage into the break. Glover paced all scorers with 12 points and a trio of made three-pointers while Philipkoski led with eight rebounds and four assists.
  • Daemen ballooned its lead to 21 (49-28) with an 8-3 run through the first three minutes of the second frame. Glover had four of those eight tallies for the Wildcats. They upped their advantage to a game-high 26 points with a 12-7 stretch, opening up a 61-35 lead with 11:30 to play. The Spartans scored the next five in a row before a Ryan Heath bucket made it 63-40 with 10 minutes remaining.
  • The Wildcats' lead grew to 24 (67-43) with 8:41 left, but the Spartans responded with a 7-0 run to pull within 17 with six minutes to play. Daemen's advantage hovered between 17 and 19 for the following four minutes. St. Thomas Aquinas cut it to as low as 15 points, but the Wildcats closed out a comfortable 79-60 victory.
GAME NOTES
  • Daemen remained No. 3 in the latest NABC coaches' poll. The Wildcats returned 13 players from last year's 28-1 squad and have been in the top four in every poll this season.
  • The Wildcats were picked to finish first in the East Coast Conference preseason poll for the third time in the last four years. The Spartans were tabbed to finish second.
  • Today was the 38th all-time meeting between Daemen and St. Thomas Aquinas. The Wildcats trail the series 23-15, but have triumphed in four of the last five matchups, all since the start of last season.
  • Daemen's 19-point margin of victory tied for its fourth largest of the year. The Wildcats have won by at least 15 points in eight of 12 contests and by at least 10 in 10 of 12.
  • Daemen kept St. Thomas Aquinas to 60 points, the second fewest it has allowed this season, trailing a 51-point defensive performance versus Queens on Dec. 5. The Wildcats have allowed 65 or fewer nine times this season. Opponents have managed to crack the 70-point plateau only twice and have not reached 80.
  • The Wildcats dished out 19 assists as a team compared to 10 by the Spartans. Daemen has had more assists than its opponent in all but one game this season. 
  • Daemen outrebounded St. Thomas Aquinas 47-29, a +18 rebounding margin, the Wildcats' second-largest of the year, trailing their +20 mark against Molloy on Dec.7. Daemen has won the rebounding battle in 11 of 12 contests and in each of its last 11.
UP NEXT
Daemen returns to Lumsden Gymnasium on Dec. 17 for a Noon matchup against Assumption. That contest begins a four game stretch of non-ECC opponents for the Wildcats who will resume conference action on Jan. 9.
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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