ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – The No. 2 Daemen University men's basketball team improved to 20-0 overall and 8-0 in East Coast Conference play with a 116-74 road victory over Molloy on Sunday. The Wildcats have won 51 consecutive regular season contests, the longest active regular season win streak across all three NCAA divisions. It dates back to February 2024. The Wildcats' overall win streak (20 straight) is the longest in Division II.
 
Six Daemen players reached double figures, eight tallied at least nine points and 12 total Wildcats found their name on the score sheet. They shot 52% (43-of-83) from the field as a team while knocking down 9-of-22 three-pointers (41%). Daemen outscored Molloy 66-44 in the paint and 34-12 in transition.
 
IMPACT PLAYERS

• Redshirt senior Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) led all scorers with 23 points, equaling his largest total of the season (Adelphi on Jan. 1). The forward also recorded a game-high 10 rebounds. It was Hemphill's sixth double-double of the year and fourth in his last five games. The redshirt senior notched a game-high eight assists, equaling his second-best sum of the year.
• Junior Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) contributed 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 2-of-4 from distance. He has scored 10 or more in 19 of 20 games this season and 18 straight. Philipkoski has reached the 20-point plateau on eight occasions this year. He had done so just three times in his career prior to this campaign. 
• Senior Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) followed with 14 points. He has averaged 17 per contest over his last three appearances and has raised his season average to 11 points per game. The guard nailed two three pointers and has contributed multiple triples in 14 of 20 games this season. 
• Freshman Nakyhi Harris (Buffalo, N.Y.) picked up nine points and a career-high tying five rebounds. Harris also managed five steals after racking up five total across his first 19 collegiate games. That mark also equaled the most steals a Daemen player has had in a contest this year, matching Hemphill's performances on Dec. 7 against Molloy and Dec. 12 versus Mercy. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Wildcats did not score for the first 2:30 of game time while the Lions took a 4-0 lead, but Daemen then exploded with an 18-0 run over the following four minutes. Hemphill's six points led the way while Philipkoski added five. The Wildcats went 7-of-8 from the floor and 2-of-2 from three over that span. Molloy then claimed 10 consecutive points of its own, closing Daemen's lead to 18-14 at the midway point of the first half.
• The Wildcats' advantage held steady until the six-minute mark (28-23) when Daemen took control with an 11-0 run. Glover boasted nine of those points on one triple and six free throws. After a Molloy layup, the Wildcats scored five more points in a row and seven of the next nine. Daemen took a 50-33 lead into halftime. 
• Molloy began the second period with a 7-3 spurt over the first 2:30, cutting its deficit to 13 at 53-40. Daemen regained its rhythm with a dominant stretch through the following seven minutes, outscoring Molloy 29-14 and reaching 80 points before the second frame was half over (82-54). The Wildcats hit 90 points with a Jackson Kulik (Webster, N.Y.) layup with 8:12 remaining.
• Daemen managed another extended scoring run with 14 straight between the 6:30 and 4:00 marks, during which the Wildcats eclipsed 100 points for the first time this season. Daemen's largest lead came with 2:36 remaining at 112-67 (45 points). The Wildcats eventually closed out a 42-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 8-0 record in league play.
• Daemen has an average margin of victory of 24 points in ECC contests, and has won each game by at least eight points.
• Today was the 26th all-time meeting between Daemen and Molloy. The Wildcats lead the series 18-8 and have won six straight matchups, including both this season.
• Daemen's 116 points marked the first time this season that the Wildcats have reached the century mark. It was the most points Daemen has scored in a game since February 2024 when it hung 123 on Mercy in the third contest of the Wildcats' 51-game regular season win streak.
• The Wildcats' 42-point margin of victory over the Lions was their largest of the year.
• The Wildcats outrebounded the Lions 49-29, their most boards in a game this season and their best margin at +20. Daemen has outrebounded its opponent in 18 of 20 contests.
• Daemen's 30 assists and 17 steals were season-high marks while the Wildcats' eight turnovers were their fewest of the year.

UP NEXT
Daemen remains on the road and heads to Erie, Penn. on Jan. 21 for a matchup against Gannon. The Wildcats defeated the Golden Knights 82-70 at Lumsden Gymnasium last season. 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.