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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
Zach Philipkoski gathers to shoot the ball in transition
James P. McCoy
70
Staten Island CSI 12-5,3-2 ECC
88
Winner Daemen Daemen 18-0,6-0 ECC
Staten Island CSI
12-5,3-2 ECC
70
Final
88
Daemen Daemen
18-0,6-0 ECC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Staten Island CSI 30 40 70
Daemen Daemen 48 40 88

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

Wildcats Down CSI, Move to 18-0

AMHERST, N.Y. – The No. 2 Daemen University men's basketball team improved to 18-0 overall and 6-0 in East Coast Conference play with a 88-70 victory over Staten Island at Lumsden Gymnasium on Sunday. The Wildcats have won 49 consecutive regular season contests, dating back to February 2024, and were 25-0 in regular season play last year.
 
Four Daemen players reached double figures and combined for 73 of the Wildcats' 88 points. They shot 54% (29-of-54) from the field as a team while knocking down 9-of-20 three-pointers (45%). Daemen outscored CSI 18-6 in transition and outrebounded the Dolphins 37-26.
 
IMPACT PLAYERS
  • Junior Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) poured in a season-high 28 points while going 10-of-13 from the floor, his second game this year with at least 10 made field goals. The guard also sank 3-of-5 three-point attempts. It was Philipkoski's second-largest point output of his career, following a 34-tally performance against Mercy in January 2024, and his seventh contest with at least 20 points scored this season.
  • Senior Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) also recorded a season high in points with 20, equaling his second-best career total. Like Philipkoski, Glover made three three-pointers, which tied for his most of the year, a mark he has reached eight times. The guard also contributed four rebounds and four assists.
  • Junior Ryan Heath (Rochester, N.Y.) was third among Wildcats with 13 points despite attempting just four field goals, of which he made three. The guard was 7-of-8 from the foul line. Heath's seven converted free throws were a career high. He has made at least 50% of his field goal tries in 11 of 18 contests this year.
  • Redshirt senior Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) posted game-best totals with 10 rebounds and six assists. Hemphill has reached double-digit rebounds six times this season, including each of the last three games, and has gotten to at least six assists nine times.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Daemen got out to a blistering start. The Wildcats raced to a 13-2 lead in just 3:30 of game time, paced by six points from Glover and five from Philipkoski. A 4-0 Staten Island stretch followed, but Daemen then went on another 13-2 run and claimed a 26-8 advantage midway through the first half.
  • A Philipkoski layup with 7:49 remaining in the half put Daemen ahead by over 20 for the first time at 34-13, but the following four minutes belonged to the Dolphins. They recorded 10 straight points and 13 of the next 14 to drop Daemen's lead from 21 to nine (35-26). The Wildcats regained control with a 9-0 spurt over the final two minutes of the period and took a 48-30 lead into halftime. Glover led all scorers with 13 points and Philipkoski boasted 11.
  • Both offenses found a rhythm out of the break, notching 13 points each over the first five minutes and shifting Daemen's lead to 61-43. CSI used a 7-0 run to cut its deficit to as few as 13 points with just under 11 minutes remaining, but the Dolphins got no closer.
  • Daemen seized control of the game for good, outsourcing CSI 19-7 over the following seven minutes, which included making 7-of-7 free throw attempts. The Wildcats claimed a 84-59 advantage, their largest margin of the afternoon at 25 points. Philipkoski accounted for seven of those 19 points while Heath had six. Daemen then closed out a comfortable 18-point victory.
GAME NOTES
  • Daemen remained No. 2 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. Daemen sits atop the ECC standings with a 6-0 record in league play.
  • Daemen has an average margin of victory of 23 points in ECC contests, and has won each game by at least 14 points.
  • Today was the 11th all-time meeting between Daemen and CSI. The Wildcats lead the series 9-2 and have won five straight matchups.
  • The Wildcats went 9-of-20 on three pointers against the Dolphins, a 45% clip, which was Daemen's third-best of the season. The Wildcats made 22-of-48 (46%) triple tries in two games this weekend.
  • Daemen held the advantage for 39:39 while never trailing, 99.1% of the contest. A Glover three gave the Wildcats the lead 21 seconds in, which they never relinquished. 
  • The Wildcats' +11 rebounding margin gave them their 12th game this year in which they have grabbed at least 10 more rebounds than their opponent.
  • Daemen notched 16 assists while CSI picked up 14. The Wildcats have had more assists than their opponent in all but two games this season. 
UP NEXT
Daemen continues ECC play on the road next weekend, starting with a 7:30 p.m. matchup against Queens on Jan. 16. The Wildcats are 22-4 all-time against the Knights, including a 76-51 victory on Dec. 5 at Lumsden Gymnasium.
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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