Game 24 - Daemen at D'Youville | Buffalo, N.Y. | Saints Center Gym | 3 p.m.
Daemen Links:Â
Roster |Â
Schedule |Â
Stats |
 Game Notes
D'Youville Links:Â
Roster |Â
Schedule |Â
Stats
Important Links:Â
Watch |Â
Live Stats |Â
Tickets
CROSSTOWN CLASSIC
The No. 1/2 Daemen University men's basketball will head 20 minutes south to face longtime local rival D'Youville on Feb. 22. Tip-off from the Saints Center Gym is set for 3 p.m. Ealier this year, Daemen defeated D'Youville, 88-56, back on Jan. 16 at home.Â
NUMBER ONE
For the first time in program history, Daemen was named the No.1 team in the country as they moved into the top spot within the most recent National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) National Poll, as announced Tuesday afternoon. The Wildcats garnered a program record 394 points and 12 first-place votes. The Wildcats are the first Division I or II team from Western New York to be ranked No. 1 in a national poll as they surpassed St. Bonaventure's then-record No. 2 ranking in the week 12 AP Poll back on Feb. 27, 1961. Daemen is also the first Division I or II men's basketball team from New York state to be ranked No. 1 in any national poll since Syracuse was tabbed No. 1 in the week 16 AP Poll on Feb. 17, 2017. They join Adelphi as the only other team in ECC history to attain a No. 1 ranking in any national poll as the Panthers were ranked No. 1 in six consecutive polls from January 29 - March 5.
ECC CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Redshirt sophomore center
Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y.) was tabbed the ECC Co-Player of the Week, the league announced this past Monday. Bill earned co-player of the week honors alongside Rob Matos of Molloy University. This season, the Hamburg, N.Y., native has taken home six weekly awards as he was named the ECC Player of the Week on four occasions (Dec. 2, 9, 23 & Feb. 15) and the ECC Defensive Player of the Week twice (Dec. 9 & Jan. 13). This past week, Bill notched back-to-back double-doubles and averaged 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds over two games.
A STEP ABOVE
As a team, the Wildcats continue to lead the nation in field goal percentage defense at .363. Daemen currently ranks second nationally in scoring margin (22.9), third in bench points (39.3), third in scoring defense (61.2), fourth in assists per game (19.6) and fourth in field goal percentage (.519). Individually, redshirt sophomore center
Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y.) leads the nation in field goal percentage at .727, graduate student guard
Matt Becker (Fairfield, Conn.) leads the ECC and ranks 24th nationally in assists-to-turnover ratio at 2.83 in across 23 games.
EVERYONE EATS
Against Queens ( Feb. 16), six different members Wildcats finished in double-figures, led by a 19 point, 12 rebound double- double from redshirt sophomore
Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y.). Redshirt senior forward
Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) tallied 14 points on five-of-six shooting to end the afternoon while he also grabbed a team-high two steals. Graduate student guard
Matt Becker (Fairfield Conn.) ended the afternoon with 13 points, eight rebounds and a game-high seven assists, one shy of his career high. Sophomore guard
Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) tallied 12 points while fellow guards
Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) and
Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) each scored 11 points each to round out the Wildcats offensive efforts.
SCOUTING D'YOUVILLEÂ (8-15, 6-8 ECC)
Winners of four of their last five games, the Saints have set a new program record for ECC wins in a season with six. Leading the D'Youville offense has been redshirt junior guard Justin Moore and his 16.4 points per game. On the glass, Moore has also helped the Saints with his team leading 6.5 rebounds per game. Fellow Saints guard, redshirt junior Noah Hutchins, currently ranks fourth in the ECC for assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.6 as well.
SERIES HISTORY
Daemen is a perfect 14-0 against D'Youville with the series dating back to the 1998-99 season.Â
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will end the regular season on March 1 as they welcome regional rival Roberts Wesleyan to Lumsden Gymnasium. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
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.
