MANCHESTER, N.H. – In a rematch of the 2026 NCAA Div. II East Region Championship game featuring two very different looking teams in the 2026-27 season, the Saint Anselm College Hawks upset #15 Daemen University men's basketball 83-72 in the season opener on Monday. The Hawks built momentum off an 8-0 run to end the first half and outscored the Wildcats 57 to 41 in the second half, shooting 60-percent from the field to Daemen's 42-percent. Saint Anselm out-rebounded Daemen 45 to 35 but dominated the defensive boards, pulling down 40 defensive rebounds to Daemen's 25.
The Wildcats start the season 0-1, marking the first season opener loss since Nov. 3, 2023 and is just the second regular season loss for Daemen in the last three seasons.
Daemen sophomore guard
Nakyhi Harris (Buffalo, N.Y.) shined in his first collegiate start, scoring a game-high 34 points while shooting 50-percent (14-of-28) from the field and banking four triples.
After the Hawks dropped a dunk at the 10-minute mark to bring the game within three, 13-10, Daemen put together a 9-2 run off a driving layup by sophomore guard
Jaymeir Goosby (Buffalo, N.Y.) and a pair of triples from freshman guard
Charlie Croff (Lockport, N.Y.) and Harris to give the Wildcats the 10-point advantage, 22-12 with 5:30 left in the first half. Daemen extended their lead by as much as 13 in the first after redshirt junior guard
Trevor Barrett (Cary, N.C.) nailed a three and Harris finished on a driving layup, 29-16, but the Hawks closed out the first half scoring eight unanswered points to close the deficit to five at the half with Daemen on top, 31-26. Harris led the Wildcats with 10 first-half points.
Saint Anselm opened the second half with back-to-back buckets to bring the game within one, 31-30, until Harris' putback layup stopped the St. A's run and Barrett added a stepback layup to increase Daemen's lead back to five. After Goosby drilled a three to lift Daemen up 38-34 with 16:38 left, the Hawks went on an 11-2 run, taking advantage of Daemen turnovers and missed shots and knocking down four of five shots to take a 45-40 lead. The Wildcats stopped the run with a Croff free throw and a Harris jumper, but Saint Anselm again took advantage of Daemen's missed shots and turnovers score 12 of the next 14 points off five buckets to take a 12-point lead over the Cats, 57-45. From there, Harris put the game on his back, scoring 10 of Daemen's 12 points over 2:42 to bring the game within four, 61-57. An eight-point run for the Hawks would give Saint Anselm the 74-60 lead that they held onto for the last 3:36 of the game. Saint Anselm upset the Wildcats with a final of 83-72 in the season opener.
IMPACT PLAYERS
- Harris more than doubled his previous career-high in points with 34 today, shooting 14-of-28 from the field including four triples, adding five rebounds – two offensive – four assists and two steals.
- Barrett was the only other Wildcat with double-digit points tonight, finishing with 12 points after a pair of three's, two buckets and a pair of free throws, adding three rebounds and two assists.
- Sophomore forward Pat Rouse (Jackson Heights, N.Y.) totaled nine points -- seven of which came in the first half -- along with four rebounds, a team-high four steals and two assists.
- Goosby finished with nine points, five rebounds, one steal and one assist.
- Freshman forward Brady Olsen (Niskayuna, N.Y.) led the Wildcats defensively with nine rebounds, including a team-high seven defensive boards, and chipped in four points, two steals and one assist.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats make their Lumsden Gymnasium debut this weekend at the East Region Challenge, kicking off the weekend with Friday's 7 PM match up against Saint Michael's in a rematch of the 2026 East Region Quarterfinals, and will then host #3 Gannon, the reigning national champions, on Saturday at 2 PM.
