Jaymeir Goosby dribbles up the court as a defender from St. Thomas Aquinas runs along his right side

Geoff Schneider

Wildcats Visit Redhawks For Regular Season Finale Wednesday

2/24/2026 5:15:00 PM

REGULAR SEASON FINALE
The Daemen men's basketball team, ranked No. 4 in the NABC Division II poll and leading all NCAA Division II teams in wins, closes out the 2025-26 regular season Wednesday when they travel to Rochester where they'll face longtime rival Roberts Wesleyan. The Wildcats are coming off a 90-67 win over D'Youville this past Sunday, and a win Wednesday would give them back-to-back unbeaten conference seasons - a feat that hasn't been achieved in the ECC since Philadelphia Textile in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons. The Wildcats have posted an astounding 55-2 overall record since the start of the 2024-25 campaign, and will also be looking for the season sweep against the Redhawks.

BEASTS OF THE EAST
Daemen's 82-67 win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Feb. 15 clinched the Wildcats' second straight ECC regular season championship. They will enter this Wednesday's game at RWU riding a 37-game conference winning streak, which includes an average victory margin of more than 20 points per game. The Wildcats have won at least 12 conference games in 12 of the program's 13 seasons as an ECC member, dating back to the 2013-14 campaign. The only season without 12 conference wins in that span was the COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 season, when they only played nine ECC contests (going 7-2). The Wildcats have never finished lower than fourth in the ECC standings, with prior regular season titles coming in 2013-14, 2018-19 and 2024-25. Daemen owns an all-time ECC record of 177-43 (.805 winning percentage).

THE SENIOR SALUTE
Seniors Josh Haskell, Ayden Harrison, Justin Glover and Justin Hemphill were recognized in a brief ceremony prior to the final regular season home game of their careers, Feb. 15 vs. St. Thomas Aquinas. All four have been with the program for at least the last four seasons, helping Daemen post a 100-19 overall record, winning two ECC regular season championships, qualifying for two NCAA tournament berths and winning the program's first-ever ECC tournament championship.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Daemen's success this season has been rooted at the defensive end of the court, where they're allowing just 65.8 points per game, ranking 18th nationally. Daemen's stingy defense includes the best shot-blocking numbers in Division II, averaging 6.0 blocks per contest. They also own a +10.0 rebounding margin per game (fourth in Division II) and are holding opponents to just 39.5 percent field-goal shooting (ninth in Division II). Daemen players are responsible for 10 of the 14 ECC Defensive Player of the Week selections this season, with five different players being recognized.

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 259-85 record during his tenure, including nine 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 516-311. He is the only known coach in men's college basketball history to have at least 100 wins in all three NCAA divisions.

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. Daemen has now been ranked in 29 consecutive national polls, including 26 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
Jan. 13 - 2
Jan. 20 - 2
Jan. 27 - 4
Feb. 3 - 4
Feb. 10 - 4
Feb. 17 - 4
Feb. 24 - 4

REGIONAL CONSIDERATION
Daemen is one of 10 teams in the East Region listed as under consideration for national tournament bids in the first East Region rankings released by the regional advisory committee with games played through Feb. 15. The East Region consists of teams from the East Coast Conference, the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, and the Northeast-10 Conference, and the regional rankings are used to determine at-large bids to the East Regional portion of the NCAA tournament. Teams under consideration at this point in the season are (in alphabetical order): Adelphi, Assumption, Bentley, Daemen, Felician, Pace, Saint Anselm, Saint Michael's, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Staten Island. Daemen is an impressive 9-0 this season against teams listed in last week's regional rankings. A new regional ranking will be released Wednesday prior to Daemen's game vs. Roberts Wesleyan.

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.

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.

STREAK SNAPPED
Daemen saw several winning streaks snapped after suffering their first loss of the season Jan. 21 at No. 10 Gannon. The loss broke Daemen's season-opening 20-game winning streak, an 18-game road winning streak, a 51-game regular season winning streak and a seven-game winning streak against ranked opponents.

BATTLE FOR BUFFALO x2
Daemen rebounded from its first regular season loss since Feb. of 2024 by defeating crosstown rival D'Youville 90-65 on Jan. 24. Daemen, which never trailed in the game, used a 26-6 run spanning both halves to seize control. Justin Glover and Phil Nwugwo netted 18 points apiece to lead the way. The Wildcats then secured a sweep of the season series, downing DYU 90-67 at Saints Center Gym on Feb. 22. Zach Philipkoski equaled his season-high with 28 points to lead a quintet of double-figure scorers. The two most recent wins moved Daemen to 19-0 all-time against D'Youville.

THRUWAY RIVALRY DOMINANCE CONTINUES
Five Daemen players reached double figures and combined for 65 of the Wildcats' 81 points in a 21-point victory (81-60) over longtime rival Roberts Wesleyan on Jan. 31. Justin Glover led the Wildcats' balanced effort with 15 points, and Justin Hemphill (13 points, 10 rebounds) recorded his seventh double-double of the season. Daemen has won 12 straight and 39 of the last 41 meetings with RWU, dating back to 2008.

A RIVALRY RENEWED
The Daemen-STAC rivalry has evolved into one of the biggest in the East Region and perhaps all of NCAA Division II. The teams have met at least three times in six straight and eight of the last nine seasons. Daemen swept the teams' regular season meetings a year ago - the first regular season sweep by either team since the 2015-16 season - and downed STAC 88-80 in the ECC Championship finals, thanks to 23 points from Benjamin Bill and the 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists of tournament Most Outstanding Player Justin Hemphill. But, STAC got their revenge a week later, returning to Lumsden Gymnasium to hand Daemen its first and only loss of the season, a 79-74 final in the NCAA tournament second round. It stands as Daemen's only loss in their last 39 home games. Daemen scored a sweep of this year's regular season series, winning 79-60 at Aquinas Hall (Dec. 14) and 82-67 at Lumsden Gym (Feb. 15).

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS
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. Bill picked up where he left off, and was a three-time ECC weekly award recipient (Player of the Week x2, Defensive Player of the Week) early in the season, before suffering an injury. The 6-foot-10 center left Daemen's game at Mercy on Dec. 12 and missed the next 11 games. He returned to the lineup Jan. 31 vs. Roberts Wesleyan, and has reached double figures in four of the last six games. For the season, Bill is averaging 15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game, while shooting 66.7 percent from the field and posting six double-doubles.

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 1,270 points, 884 rebounds, 389 assists, 174 steals and 145 blocks in 127 career games played. He enters this week ranking 15th in points, third in blocked shots and fifth in steals, rebounds and assists among Daemen's all-time leaders. He is now the only player in program history with at least 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 300 assists. Hemphill, who has earned five ECC Defensive Player of the Week selections and an ECC Player of the Week selection this season, has continued to stuff the stat sheet this season, averaging 11.6 points, 1.6 blocks and team-highs of 8.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He is presently the only player to rank among the ECC's top five leaders in rebounds (2nd), assists (3rd), blocks (4th) and steals (5th). Hemphill has also posted a team-best nine double-doubles this season, and his 13-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist outing vs. Mercy on Feb. 13 marked the first triple-double by a Daemen player since Dec. 17, 2014 (Gerald Beverly vs. St. Thomas (Fla.)).

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 three-time ECC Player of the Week selection this season, and the junior guard is producing a team-high 17.6 points per game, along with 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He is shooting 50.2 percent from the field, 39.3 percent from three-point range and 89.1 percent from the charity stripe. Philipkoski has scored in double figures in all but two games this season, including 11 outings of 20 points or more. He scored a season-high 28 points in wins over Staten Island (Jan. 11) and D'Youville (Feb. 22), and has also posted four double-doubles.

SMALL COLLEGE BASKETBALL AWARD WATCH LISTS
Benjamin Bill and Zach Philipkoski have been named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 50 Watch List, and Justin Hemphill was named to the Trevor Hudgins Award Top 25 Watch List, both by Small College Basketball, a national organization that spotlights the achievements of non-NCAA Division I men's basketball teams and student-athletes. The Bevo Francis Award is presented annually to the player deemed to have had the finest overall season, while the Trevor Hudgins Award goes to the player judged to have had the best overall career. Small College Basketball will continue the processes for both awards over the next several weeks, before announcing the recipients on Monday, April 6.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
Junior guard Ryan Heath is in the Wildcats' starting lineup for the first time in his career, and has responded by producing 9.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game - all career-high numbers. After posting just four games of 10+ points in his first two collegiate seasons, Heath has reached double figure scoring in 16 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 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.

GLOVER GETS HIS 1,000TH
During Daemen's 90-65 win over D'Youville on Jan. 24, senior guard Justin Glover became the 30th player in team history to reach the 1,000 point milestone. Now in his third season as a full-time starter, Glover has appeared in 111 games with 88 starts to his credit, and he now ranks 25th in career scoring (1,067 points) and ninth in career three-pointers (172) among Daemen's al-time leaders. He has come on of late, posting a season-high 20 points against Staten Island on Jan. 11, and 18 in the win over D'Youville on Jan. 24. For the season, Glover is contributing 11.3 points per game and shooting 37.6 percent from three-point range. He ranks fifth among the ECC leaders for three-point field goals per game (2.1), and his 56 three-point field goals are a career-high.

STEPPING UP
Redshirt junior forward Phil Nwugwo has taken his game to new heights this season, and his emergence helped the Wildcats absorb the loss of Benjamin Bill to injury through the majority of December and January. Nwugwo, who had just four games of 10+ points in his career prior to this season, has reached double figures 18 times this season, including 17 of the last 19 outings. He's averaging 12.2 points on 61.6 percent shooting, along with 6.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game over that 19-game span, which also includes his first career double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds at Mercy). His career-high five blocks against UDC on Jan. 9 led to the first ECC Defensive Player of the Week selection of his career. For the season, Nwugwo is averaging 9.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

HEY, ROOKIE!
Freshman guard Nakyhi Harris earned ECC Rookie of the Week honors - the first Daemen player to do so this season - after averaging 10.0 points and shooting 58.3 percent from the field in road wins over District of Columbia and Staten Island in early February. Harris has been a key contributor off the Daemen bench all season, averaging 5.6 points and 2.2 rebounds while playing 15.4 minutes per game. His 25 three-point field goals rank third on the team, and he has posted five games of 10 or more points, including a career-high 13 in wins over Queens (Jan. 16) and UDC (Feb. 8).

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
Led by eighth-year head coach Mark Saladzius, the Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks return eight players from their 2024-25 squad, including co-captains Keonjay Carter and Trey Kleitz. RWU has posted a 4-2 record in February, but saw their four-game winning streak come to an end Sunday with an 85-74 setback at Staten Island. At 5-9 in league play, the Redhawks are clinging to the sixth and final ECC Championship berth, although 4-10 Queens and 3-11 District of Columbia remain alive behind them. The Redhawks are middle of the pack in terms of scoring (fifth in ECC at 78.5 points per game), but are surrendering 83.1 points (seventh in ECC) on 46.2 percent shooting (eighth in ECC) to their opponents this season. Junior wing Collin Woods leads the Redhawks in scoring (15.3 ppg), rebounding (5.2 rpg) and assists (4.5 apg), while freshman guard Jordan Brown is producing 13.3 points per outing. Woods has scored 10+ points in 11 of the last 12 games, including three 20+ point outbursts in that span. Additional production is coming from the afore-mentioned Carter (11.6 ppg), a redshirt junior guard, as well as junior guard Khalik Gardner (10.7 ppg).

SERIES HISTORY
Daemen owns a 54-13 edge in the all-time series with RWU. The Wildcats have won 12 straight meetings, and 39 of the last 41 dating back to 2008. Justin Glover (15 points) and Justin Hemphill (13 points, 10 rebounds) led a balanced effort in Daemen's 81-60 win on Jan. 31. Collin Woods paced the Redhawks with a game-high 23 points.

WHAT'S NEXT
Daemen will enter the ECC Championship as the No. 1 seed, and will host the semifinal and final rounds at Lumsden Gymnasium on March 7-8. Additional conference tournament information is forthcoming following the completion of the ECC regular season this weekend.

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