Daemen basketball's shining moments, cutting down the nets on both baskets

AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Soundtracked by "One Shining Moment" the No. 1 team in the land accomplished a program first, cutting down the nets on both ends of its home court.

Daemen University won its first East Coast Conference men's basketball championship Saturday at sold-out Lumsden Gymnasium, following in an annual tradition for its women's team. Ranked No. 1 in Division II by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Wildcats (27-0) remained the only unbeaten among 1,099 NCAA men's basketball teams with an 88-80 victory against St. Thomas Aquinas, which had beaten Daemen in the past four ECC title games.

"This is a proud moment, something we've all been waiting for," said Justin Hemphill, a fifth-year senior forward from Cardinal O'Hara High School who had 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to earn most outstanding player of the tournament honors.

"Every year it feels like we end up in Sparkhill, New York. But this year was a different outcome," said Hemphill, holding both his individual award and the team championship trophy, with a piece of twine tucked behind his ear. "Our fans showed out and packed the gym both days. We felt all the energy, we took it all in. Being able to do this in front of our home fans, feeling all the love, it's something we've all wanted to do for a long time."

A fresh net was already hanging from the opposing basket after the Daemen women beat Staten Island 76-68 at the start of Saturday's doubleheader to win a fourth consecutive ECC championship and march into the NCAA tournament for a sixth consecutive year. Coach Jenepher Banker's team has won seven D-II tournament games in four years, twice reaching the national quarterfinals.

After proudly hosting both ECC championships concurrently for the first time, Daemen will now prepare its dance floor for NCAA D-II men's basketball tournament games at Lumsden starting March 15 as the top seed in the East Region.

"It's been special to see the turnout we had from Western New York," coach Mike MacDonald said. "And the great thing is we've got more games here. So people can come watch us again."

Winning its 27 games by an average of 23 points, Daemen had a rare close call in its third meeting with STAC, letting a 16-point lead dwindled down to 3 in the closing minutes. But the Wildcats clawed out a necessary defensive stop and made their free throws to maintain having won every game this season by at least eight points.

ECC player of the year Benjamin Bill (Hamburg) had 23 points and six rebounds, all-time leading 3-point shooter Andrew Mason scored 14, and pint guard Justin Glover (St. Joe's) added 10 points while controlling the tempo for Daemen.

"We've got some dogs on this team," Hemphill said. "We’ve been saying we are the best Western New York college basketball team. And I feel like we go out there and prove it every time we step on the court."

"It's been an unbelievable season," MacDonald said. "We've got a special group of guys. I'm really happy for them. Especially guys like Hemphill, Mason and Ryan Salzberg. Guys who've been beat in this championship game four straight years. To get a chance to play in this again and win, it's really special."