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Wildcats Down UDC, Stay Unbeaten in ECC

2/6/2026 10:31:00 PM

By: CONTACT: Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for Communications/Operations | 716-839-8385 | mmiranto@daemen.edu
AMHERST, N.Y. – The No. 4 Daemen University men's basketball team improved to 23-1 overall and 11-0 in East Coast Conference play with a 88-67 road victory over the University of the District of Columbia on Friday. The Wildcats are 51-2 since the start of last season, including postseason results. They are one of just five teams in Division II with one loss or fewer this year.
 
Just three Daemen players reached double figures, but 12 total Wildcats managed to score. They shot 49% (33-of-67) from the field as a team while knocking down 7-of-26 three-pointers (26%). Daemen outscored UDC 46-38 in the paint and 22-12 in transition.
 
IMPACT PLAYERS
  • Redshirt junior Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y), an All-American and the ECC Player of the Year last season, led the Wildcats with 16 points in his second game back after missing the previous 11 with a lower body injury. This season's ECC Preseason Player of the Year went 7-of-10 from the floor and has made at least half of his field goal attempts in all 13 appearances this year.
  • Redshirt junior Phil Nwugwo (Rochester, N.Y) contributed 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. It was Nwugwo's 14th game in double figures this year and 13th in his last 15 contests. He has scored at least 15 points six times despite having done so just once in his career prior to this season.
  • Junior Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) followed with 14 points. He has scored 10 or more in 23 of 24 games and 22 straight. Philipkoski also posted a game-high six assists, which tied for his third-best mark of the campaign. 
  • Redshirt senior Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) led all players with 12 rebounds and racked up seven points and three assists. It was Hemphill's 10th game this year with at least 10 rebounds and seventh out of his last nine contests.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
  • Neither team scored for the first 1:40 of game time until Bill broke through with a layup. Daemen opened up an 11-5 lead through the first five minutes, led by five points from Hemphill and four from Bill. An 8-5 spurt for UDC made it a three point game (16-13) with 12 minutes remaining in the half. Six straight followed for the Wildcats, giving them a 21-13 advantage midway through the opening frame.
  • The Wildcats went ahead by double digits on a Nwugwo layup with 9:33 on the clock (25-15). They took a 15-point advantage (32-17) on a Bill lay-in four minutes later. Daemen closed the half on an 11-0 run over the final 2:13 and took a 23-point lead into halftime (47-24). Philipkoski posted all 14 of his points in the opening period while Bill poured in 11.
  • UDC began the second half with a quick 6-2 run over the first 1:30 and closed to within 19 points of Daemen. The gap dropped to as low as 18 (54-38) three minutes later, but the Wildcats claimed full control of the game after that. They scored nine points in a row on back-to-back-to-back triples, a pair from Nakyhi Harris (Buffalo, N.Y.) and one from Justin  Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.), and took their biggest lead to that point at 27 points. 
  • The Wildcats' advantage ballooned to 30 for the first time at the 8:56 mark on a layup by Jaiden Harrison (Buffalo, N.Y.), which made the score 71-41. Daemen's largest lead of the night proved to be 32 points (84-52) with three minutes remaining before the Wildcats closed out a 21-point victory, their seventh win by at least 20 over an ECC foe this season.
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 an 11-0 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 25th all-time meeting between Daemen and UDC. The Wildcats lead the series 23-2 and have won 18 consecutive matchups dating back to 2017, including a season sweep this season.
  • Daemen allowed just 67 points to UDC, the 18th time the Wildcats have surrendered fewer than 70 this year. Daemen's defense gives up just under 66 points per game, the best mark in the ECC.
  • The Wildcats accumulated 26 assists, tied for their second-most of the season and most against a team other than Molloy, compared to the Firebirds' 11. Daemen has had more assists than its opponent in 20 of 24 contests this season.
  • The Wildcats managed 10 steals, the seventh time they have racked up at least 10 in a game this year.
UP NEXT
Daemen returns to action on Feb. 8 at 3:00 p.m. when it visits the College of Staten Island. The Wildcats defeated the Dolphins 88-70 on Jan. 11 at Lumsden Gymnasium.
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.
 
 
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