Ryan Heath dribbles along the baseline past a defender

James P. McCoy

No. 2 Daemen Hosts Conference Foes This Weekend

Wildcats tip with UDC Friday, meet CSI Sunday

1/8/2026 11:45:00 AM

BACK IN THE LEAGUE
The #2 Daemen Wildcats return home and put their unblemished record on the line with the East Coast Conference foes District of Columbia and Staten Island set to visit, Friday and Sunday, respectively. The Wildcats are off to a 16-0 start this season, and are one of just 14 remaining unbeaten teams across all three levels of NCAA basketball, including just four within NCAA Division II. Daemen extended their season-opening win streak Monday with a 78-72 road win at Franklin Pierce, thanks to the 20-point outing of Zach Philipkoski and the double-double effort (17 points, 12 rebounds) of Justin Hemphill.

GOING STREAKING
Daemen's 16-game winning streak is the longest active streak in Division II. Among all three NCAA divisions, only Division III Trinity (27 games) and Division I Nebraska (19 games) have longer streaks. In addition, Daemen owns the longest active regular season winning streak across all three divisions, having won 47 straight. Daemen's last regular season loss came against Staten Island on Feb. 9, 2024.

HOME COOKIN'
Success on their home court has been a staple for Daemen through the years. In the program's NCAA Division II (2015-present), the Wildcats are an astounding 131-20 at home (.868 winning percentage). They've won at least 10 home games in eight of the last nine seasons; the only season they didn't was the COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 campaign. That includes last season when the Wildcats won a program-record 16 home games. They'll enter this weekend with a 9-0 home record this season, and having won 32 of their last 33 home games.

MAC'S MILESTONE MOMENT
Mike MacDonald returns for his 12th season on the Daemen bench - his 29th as a collegiate head coach. MacDonald was named the ECC, NABC District and BCANY Division II Coach of the Year last season after leading Daemen to a 28-1 record. He was also the recipient of the Clarence "Big House" Gaines Award given to the top coach in all of Division II basketball by collegeinsiders.com. MacDonald has led Daemen to a 248-84 record during his tenure, including eight 20-win seasons and five NCAA tournament berths. Daemen's 83-65 win over Mercy on Dec. 12 was the 500th of his career, prompting his selection as the HoopDirt.com Coach of the Week. Including prior head coaching stints at Division I Canisius and Division III Medaille, MacDonald owns a career record of 505-310.

WHAT A RIDE
The Wildcats are coming off the most successful season in program history when they posted a 28-1 overall record, won the ECC regular season and tournament championships and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the fifth time. Daemen rattled off 28 straight victories to start the season, earning the distinction of being the last remaining unbeaten team across all three levels of NCAA basketball. Along the way, they ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll for the first time in program history. Their 85-64 win over Roberts Wesleyan on March 1 gave the Wildcats a perfect 16-0 mark in ECC play; they became just the fourth ECC team ever and the first since C.W. Post in 2008-09 to finish the regular season undefeated. The Wildcats went on to earn ECC tournament wins over fifth-seeded Staten Island and second-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas, the latter giving Daemen its first-ever ECC tournament crown after five runner-up finishes. The Wildcats were awarded hosting rights for the NCAA Division II Championship East Regional, entering the tournament as the No.1 seed. They promptly knocked off eighth-seeded Bridgeport in the opening round, but their bubble burst in the regional semifinals against St. Thomas Aquinas - the teams' fourth meeting of the season.

HIGH PRAISE
With 13 players returning from last season, including their top four scorers (all of whom earned All-ECC honors), Daemen opened the season at No. 4 in the NABC preseason coaches' poll. The Wildcats were one of only two teams to garner first-place consideration, joining preseason No. 1 and defending national champion Nova Southeastern. The No. 4 ranking is Daemen's highest to start a season since transitioning to the NCAA Division II level more than a decade ago. After moving to No. 3 for three successive weeks, the Wildcats come into this weekend ranked No. 2. Daemen has now been ranked in 22 consecutive national polls, including 19 straight weeks in the top five. Daemen was also selected first in the ECC preseason coaches' poll released in mid-October. It marks the third time in the last four seasons that Daemen has been picked to win the ECC.

DAEMEN IN THE NABC POLL
Preseason - 4
Nov. 25 - 3
Dec. 2 - 3
Dec. 9 - 3
Dec. 16 - 2
Dec. 23 - 2
Jan. 6 - 2

DOWNTOWN TUNE UP
Daemen tuned up for the 2025-26 regular season by defeating Division III Nazareth 75-48 in exhibition action on Oct. 25. The game was played at KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo - home to the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament First and Second Rounds - as part of a doubleheader with the Syracuse Orange and Buffalo Bulls in the nightcap. The Wildcats dominated the glass with a 48-23 rebounding advantage, and went 12-for-30 from three-point range in the win. Benjamin Bill posted a double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Zach Philipkoski canned five three-pointers as part of his 16-point outing to lead the way. It marked Daemen's third excursion to KeyBank Center. The Wildcats earned a thrilling 83-81 win over Wilmington (Del.) on Nov. 23, 2019, and suffered a three-point setback (83-80) to Franklin Pierce on Dec. 18, 2021. Daemen head coach Mike MacDonald sports a 19-12 lifetime record in the building, achieving the most wins of any basketball coach in the venue's history.

FUN IN THE SUN
Daemen opened the season with a pair of impressive wins in Lakeland, Fla. at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, a 10-team, classic-style tournament that has become the premier event to tip-off the NCAA Division II college basketball season. The Wildcats opened with a gritty, 75-69 win over #19 Lenoir-Rhyne on Nov. 1, getting 19 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks from All-American big man Benjamin Bill to lead the way. Justin Hemphill (14 points, seven assists), Zach Philipkoski (13 points) and Justin Glover (11 points) all reached double figures in a game that featured 28 lead changes. The following night, the Wildcats went bonkers from three-point range, shooting 15-for-26 from downtown, including a torrid 12-for-13 in the first half, en route to a 96-62 rout of Alaska Anchorage. Bill posted his first double-double (17 points, 16 rebounds) of the season, and Ryan Heath chipped in 16 points and three steals as both were named to the all-tournament team. It marked Daemen's second invitation to the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, having last participated in the event - then held in St. Joseph, Mo. - to open the 2019-20 season.

EAST REGION CHALLENGE WINS
For the 10th time in the last 12 seasons, Daemen hosted a four-team regional challenge event with Roberts Wesleyan (ECC), Saint Anselm (NE10) and Felician (CACC) visiting Lumsden Gymnasium. Daemen improved to 19-1 all-time in the tournament, running their East Region Challenge winning streak to 16 straight games after downing Felician (92-75) and Saint Anselm (80-63). Junior guard Zach Philipkoski was named the tournament MVP after averaging 21.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists over the two games. Philipkoski scored 13 of his game-high 23 points against Saint Anselm in the second half, including 10 straight during a game-deciding 17-3 run. He was joined on the all-tournament team by Benjamin Bill who scored 20 points and grabbed 10 boards during the Wildcats' 17-point win over Felician.

TOP 5 TAKEDOWN
#4 Daemen was the last team standing in a big, early season matchup with #5 Fairmont State on Nov. 18. After trailing 31-29 at the half, Daemen outscored the Falcons by 14 in the second stanza, ultimately scoring a 75-63 win. Zach Philipkoski led Daemen with 19 points. Benjamin Bill posted another double-double (16 points, 14 rebounds) and Justin Hemphill notched 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals.

RIVALRY RENEWED
All five starters reached double figures, accounting for 69 points to lead the Wildcats to a 79-60 win over longtime rival St. Thomas Aquinas at Aquinas Hall on Dec. 14. The Wildcats took a 41-25 lead into halftime, and saw the advantage balloon to 49-28 just three minutes into the second stanza. Zach Philipkoski posted a double-double (18 points, 11 rebounds) and Justin Glover chipped in 17 points and five assists. Daemen has now won four of their last five meetings with STAC, including an 88-80 win in the final round of last season's ECC Championship.

DOWN GO THE CHAMPS
In a game that felt more like March Madness than mid-December, #2 Daemen used a 25-12 spurt in the final 5:26 to pull away from #21 Assumption, winning 77-67, despite being without All-American center Benjamin Bill and losing star forward Justin Hemphill to fouls with more than nine minutes remaining. Zach Philipkoski led the way, scoring 20 points and grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds. Ryan Heath scored a career-high 16 points and Phil Nwugwo chipped in 16 points and eight boards. Justin Glover scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half, including a trio of three-pointers during the game's defining run. Assumption entered the game as winners in seven of their first eight contests, returning to the Lumsden Gymnasium hardwood where they picked up three wins over four days last March to win their first East Regional crown in 50 years.

WILDCATS > PANTHERS
Justin Hemphill scored a season-high 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead No. 2 Daemen to a 72-68 win over No. 22 Adelphi on New Year's Day. It marked Daemen's fourth win against a nationally ranked opponent this season, and their fifth against a 2025 NCAA tourament qualifier. After shooting just 31 percent in the first half (9-for-29), the Wildcats turned things around in the second, canning 13 of their 26 field goal attempts (50%), including 4-of-6 from three-point range (66.7%), to rally from a halftime deficit for the third time this season - and for the first time since Nov. 18, snapping Adelphi's seven-game winning streak in the process.

MISSING IN ACTION
Redshirt junior center Benjamin Bill headlines the Daemen returners after earning ECC Player of the Year and consensus All-American honors last season. Bill averaged 16.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while setting a new program record for single-season field goal percentage (.708), numbers only emphasized by the fact he came off the bench in all but one game, and averaged just 22.7 minutes per game. Big things are expected again from the Hamburg, N.Y. native as he was a unanimous selection as the ECC Preseason Player of the Year, and he has picked up where he left off. He's already been a three-time ECC weekly award recipient (Player of the Week x2, Defensive Player of the Week) and is averaging 17.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game with six double-doubles to his credit. But, the Daemen big man has been out of action since suffering an injury Dec. 12 at Mercy. He is expected to return at some point this season.

MR. EVERYTHING
During Daemen's 75-63 win over #5 Fairmont State on Nov. 18, redshirt senior forward Justin Hemphill recorded the 1,000th point of his career, becoming the 29th player in team history to reach the milestone. A two-time All-ECC selection and a consensus All-Region honoree last season, the Buffalo, N.Y. native has tallied 1,125 points, 767 rebounds, 322 assists, 159 steals and 123 blocks in 115 career games played. He enters this weekend ranking 19th in points, sixth in rebounds, seventh in assists, ninth in steals and sixth in blocked shots among Daemen's all-time leaders, and is now the only player in program history with at least 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 300 assists. Hemphill, who has earned three ECC Defensive Player of the Week selections and an ECC Player of the Week selection recently, has continued to stuff the stat sheet this season, averaging 11.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, a team-high 4.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game. He is presently the only player to rank among the ECC's top five leaders in rebounds (5th), assists (2nd) and steals (2nd).

PHILIP-CLUTCH-SKI
Zach Philipkoski has shown a flare for the dramatic so far this season. Against Saint Anselm on Nov. 15, Philipkoski accounted for 13 points in the final 11:22, helping Daemen turn a slim 52-50 lead into a 17-point victory (80-63), en route to being named the MVP of the East Region Challenge. In Daemen's win over Fairmont State on Nov. 18, it was Philipkoski's three-pointer at the 9:18 mark which gave Daemen a 50-47 lead. He tallied all of his team-high 19 points in the game's final 10 minutes, and Daemen never trailed again. Then, on Nov. 22 at Charleston, Philipkoski nailed a three-pointer with 59 seconds left to even the score at 79-79. After an empty possession by UC, Philipkoski collected an offensive rebound and scored with five seconds remaining, putting Daemen on top in what turned out to be an 81-79 victory. For his efforts, Philipkoski has been a two-time ECC Player of the Week selection this season, and the junior guard is producing a team-high 18.0 points per game, along with 7.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He is shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 41.6 percent from three-point range. Philipkoski has recorded 20 or more points in six games this season, including a season-high 27 points at Mercy on Dec. 12, and has also posted four double-doubles.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
Junior guard Ryan Heath is in the Wildcats' starting lineup for the first time in his career, and has responded by producing 10.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Heath has reached double figure scoring in 10 games this season, including 16 in a dominant win over Alaska Anchorage on Nov. 2, and a career-high 17 against #21 Assumption on Dec. 17. He had just four double figure scoring games in his career prior to this season. He was named to the all-tournament team at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic and has been a two-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week selection.

THE GLOVE
Senior guard Justin Glover is narrowing in on two important milestones. Friday's game against UDC will be the 100th of his career, making him the 36th player in team history to reach the milestone. He also stands just 83 points shy of 1,000 and four three-point fields shy of moving into the top 10 in program history. Now in his third season as a full-time starter, Glover has started 76 games in his career, including all 14 that he's appeared in this season. He has come on of late, posting 17 points in a win at St. Thomas Aquinas on Dec. 14 and a season-high 19 points against Saint Michael's on Dec. 20. For the season, Glover is contributing 10.2 points per game and shooting 35.5 percent from three-point range.

STEPPING UP
Redshirt junior forward Phil Nwugwo has answered the call since being forced into the starting lineup because of the injury to Benjamin Bill. Nwugwo, who had just four games of 10+ points in his career prior to this season, has reached double figures in six of the last seven outings. He's averaging 11.9 points on 54.5 percent shooting, along with 7.4 rebounds per game over that seven-game span, which also includes his first career double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds at Mercy).

SCOUTING THE FIREBIRDS
UDC still seems to be finding their way as the calendar turns to January. The Firebirds come into the weekend with just one win in their first 11 outings - a 74-66 defeat of Livingstone in mid-December. There's been a number of close calls along the way - a seven-point overtime loss to Bowie State, a four-point loss to St. Thomas Aquinas, five-point losses to Mercy and Staten Island, and most recently, a one-point loss to Cheyney last weekend. Junior guards Rejuan Gray (13.1 ppg) and Ty Williams (12.6 ppg) have paced the Firebirds, with additional production coming from freshman center Oliver Spence (10.7 ppg) and graduate guard Michael Harrell (9.5 ppg).

SERIES HISTORY
Daemen owns a 21-2 edge in the all-time series with 16 straight wins over UDC. The Wildcats' dominance in the series includes an 11-1 mark at home. UDC's last win in the series was a 90-84 overtime final on Dec. 3, 2016. Their only win at Lumsden Gymnasium came on Dec. 13, 2015. Daemen swept the season series last year, including a 77-61 win at Lumsden Gymnasium on Feb. 2, 2025, with Benjamin Bill's double-double (18 points, 12 rebounds) leading the way.

SCOUTING THE DOLPHINS
CSI returns eight players, including three starters, from their 2024-25 team that went 12-18 overall and 7-9 in ECC play while advancing to the semifinal round of the ECC Championship tournament for the first time in their history. Back for his eighth season at the helm, head coach T.J. Tibbs has the Dolphins off to an 11-4 start this season with wins in five straight and eight of their last nine games. Junior guard Aaron Goldstein has been the catalyst, averaging an ECC-best 21.1 points per game. A two-time ECC Player of the Week, Goldstein has three 30+ point outings this season, including a 40-point outburst in a four-point loss at Tampa on Nov. 17. Senior forward Eric Tynes, a transfer from Queens College, is producing 12.1 points per game. His 38 three-point field goals are second only to Goldstein's 43, among the league leaders. Additional production is coming from senior forward Asa Kone (11.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg), senior guard JJ Chestnut (11.3 ppg, ECC-leading 5.2 apg) and redshirt sophomore guard Mitchell Wiggan (11.0 ppg). The Dolphins boast the league's highest scoring offense, averaging 87.7 points per game. Their 145 three-point field goals are 30 more than anybody else in the league, and they're shooting 36.9 percent from downtown. They also lead the league in free throws made (267) and free throw percentage (.795). The Dolphins play at D'Youville Friday night before closing their road trip Sunday at Daemen.

SERIES HISTORY
Daemen is 8-2 all-time and has won four straight meetings with the Dolphins. The Wildcats have eliminated CSI from the conference tournament in each of the last two seasons. Daemen swept the regular season series last year, and followed that with a 90-57 win in the ECC Championship semifinals when Andrew Mason drilled four three-pointers as part of a 14-point outing to lead the way.

WHAT'S NEXT
Daemen is on the road for a pair of conference games next weekend, visiting Queens (Friday, Jan. 16, 7:30 p.m.) and Molloy (Sunday, Jan. 18, 2:30 p.m.).

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