Skip To Main Content

Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
Benjamin Bill shoots a free throw
James P. McCoy
60
Roberts Wesleyan RWC 3-14,1-7 ECC
81
Winner Daemen Daemen 22-1,10-0 ECC
Roberts Wesleyan RWC
3-14,1-7 ECC
60
Final
81
Daemen Daemen
22-1,10-0 ECC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Roberts Wesleyan RWC 29 31 60
Daemen Daemen 43 38 81

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

Wildcats Sail Past Roberts Wesleyan, Reach 10-0 in ECC

AMHERST, N.Y. – The No. 4 Daemen University men's basketball team improved to 22-1 overall and 10-0 in East Coast Conference play with a 81-60 victory over Roberts Wesleyan at Lumsden Gymnasium on Saturday. The Wildcats are 50-2 since the start of last season, including postseason results.
 
Five Daemen players reached double figures and combined for 65 of the Wildcats' 81 points. They shot 40% (26-of-64) from the field as a team while knocking down 8-of-21 three-pointers (38%). Daemen outscored Roberts Wesleyan 34-28 in the paint and 34-10 in transition.
 
IMPACT PLAYERS
  • Redshirt junior Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y), an All-American and the ECC Player of the Year last season, returned to action after missing the last 11 games with a lower body injury. This season's ECC Preseason Player of the Year last appeared on Dec. 12 against Mercy. Bill scored eight points on 4-of-6 shooting with six rebounds in 18 minutes.
  • Senior Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) led the Wildcats with 15 points while going 4-of-6 from distance. Four made three pointers was a season-high mark and he has nailed at least three triples 10 times this year. Glover has averaged 15 points per contest over his last six appearances and has raised his season average to 11.5 per game. 
  • Redshirt senior Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) contributed 13 points and a game-best 10 rebounds. It was Hemphill's seventh double-double of the year and fifth in his last eight contests. He also picked up four assists and four steals.
  • Junior Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) filled the stat sheet with 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists. He has scored 10 or more in 22 of 23 games this season and 21 straight. 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Daemen's offense began by hitting 6-of-8 field goal attempts through the first five minutes of game time, allowing the Wildcats to take a 14-6 lead. Hemphill led the way individually with five early points. Daemen then notched nine consecutive tallies over the following two minutes, stretching its lead to 23-6. Six straight by the Redhawks closed the gap to 23-12 with 11 minutes remaining in the first half.
  • The offense evened up over the rest of the frame, with Daemen narrowly outsourcing Roberts Wesleyan 20-17. The Wildcats' best run was 6-0 between the 5:20 and 4:23 marks to balloon their lead to 20 points (39-19), their largest of the opening period. The Redhawks finished the half with a 10-4 spurt, sending Daemen into the locker room ahead 43-29. Glover led all scorers with 12 points while Hemphill had 10.
  • The Wildcats began the second half on a 7-0 run and outscored the Redhawks 13-2 through the first five minutes, taking a 56-31 lead, their largest of the game at that stage. The following five minutes, however, belonged to Roberts Wesleyan who put together a 12-3 stretch to cut its deficit to 16 at 59-43 with just over 10 minutes remaining. 
  • Daemen stabilized the contest by scoring 13 of the next 19 points over the following four minutes, claiming a 72-49 advantage with six minutes to play. The Wildcats ballooned their lead back to 25 with one minute left on a three by Ronnie Williams (Tampa, Fla.) (81-56), equaling their largest lead of the game before closing out a 81-60 victory.
GAME NOTES
  • Daemen is ranked No. 4 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 10-0 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 66th all-time meeting between Daemen and Roberts Wesleyan. The Wildcats lead the series 54-12 and have won 12 consecutive matchups dating back to 2021.
  • The Wildcats turned the ball over just eight times, tied for their fewest of the season (Molloy Jan. 18), while forcing 18 Roberts Wesleyan turnovers, the fourth-most a Daemen opponent has committed in a game this year.
  • The Wildcats accumulated 19 assists compared to the Redhawks' 10. Daemen has had more assists than its opponent in 19 of 23 contests this season.
  • Daemen managed 11 steals, its fourth-most of the year and the sixth time that it has racked up at least 10.
UP NEXT
Daemen returns to action on Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. when it visits the University of the District of Columbia. The Wildcats defeated the Firebirds 85-47 on Jan. 9 in Amherst; the fewest points Daemen has allowed this year.
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.
 
 
Print Friendly Version