Wildcats Ranked #3 For Third Consecutive Week

12/9/2025 3:00:00 PM

AMHERST, N.Y. - For the third straight week, Daemen University is the No. 3 ranked team in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Poll. The Wildcats have now been ranked in 19 successive national polls, including 16 straight weeks in the top five, dating back to last season.

Daemen is off to a 10-0 start this season, and the Wildcats have won 41 consecutive regular season contests dating back to the 2023-24 season. The Wildcats already own a pair of wins against nationally-ranked teams. In their season opener on Nov. 1, the Wildcats outlasted then-No. 19 Lenoir-Rhyne 75-69 at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Lakeland, Fla. Then, on Nov. 19, Daemen used a late surge to push past then-No. 5 Fairmont State 75-63 at the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium.

NABC Division II Coaches' Poll for Dec 9 2025

NABC Division II Coaches' Poll for Dec 9 2025

Most recently, Daemen opened the East Coast Conference portion of its schedule with convincing home wins over Queens (76-51 on Dec. 5) and Molloy (94-62 on Dec. 7). The Wildcats dominated defensively, holding the Knights and Lions to a combined 56.5 points per game on just 34.3 percent field-goal shooting.

The Wildcats have been led this season by the triumvirate that is Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y.), Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) and Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.). Bill, the 2025 ECC Preseason Player of the Year and a consensus All-American last season, has posted six double-doubles and is leading the Wildcats in both scoring (19.0 ppg) and rebounding (10.2 rpg) while shooting 69.4 percent from the field. Philipkoski is shooting 42.1 percent from three-point range and averaging 17.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Hemphill leads the team in assists (5.5 apg) and steals (2.5 spg) while scoring 10.8points per game. He scored his 1,000th career point in the win over Fairmont State and is one of only seven players in program history to have totaled at least 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 200 assists.

The Wildcats have also gotten solid contributions from the backcourt duo of Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Ryan Heath (Rochester, N.Y.). Now in his third season as a full-time starter, Glover is contributing 9.3 points and 2.3 assists per game. Heath is in the starting lineup for the first time in his career, and has responded by averaging 9.9 points, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

Veteran mentor Mike MacDonald leads the group, now in his 12th season roaming the Daemen sidelines. He has guided Daemen to a 242-84 record in his tenure, and stands just one win shy of 500 for his career.

The No. 3 Wildcats put their unblemished record on the line this Friday, Dec. 12 when they head to Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. for a 7 p.m. tip-off against ECC foe Mercy.

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, Facebook and Instagram at @DaemenMBB.

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