by Tom McDermott
AMHERST, N.Y. – Junior Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) drilled seven three-pointers and scored a season-high 22 points and classmate Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) added 16 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Daemen University men’s basketball team to an 82-65 victory over Roberts Wesleyan University this evening in East Coast Conference action at Lumsden Gymnasium on the Daemen campus.
Daemen has now won five straight and seven of its last eight games. The Wildcats improved to 10-6 overall and 3-3 in the league. Roberts dropped to 5-9 overall and 3-3 in the ECC.
Daemen entered today’s game ranked ninth in the latest NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region poll.
IMPACT PLAYERS
- Mason went 7-of-9 from downtown and equaled his career-high for three-pointers in a game which he set during a loss at Saint Thomas Aquinas earlier this year. The seven three-pointers tied Daemen’s NCAA-era (2015-present) record for three-pointers in a game originally set by current assistant coach Jeff Redband. Redband made seven three-pointers in a game four times during his career, most recently on Feb. 7, 2020 during a loss at Bridgeport.
- Hemphill played a career-high 30 minutes and equaled his career-high for points (16) that he set earlier this year during a win over Cheyney. He also established a career-high for rebounds (14) en route to his second double-double of the year. The reigning ECC Defensive Player of the Week, he also dished out a career-high six assists and blocked a career-high four shots.
- Junior Dylan Fasoyiro (Houston, Tex.) got into early foul trouble and played just 19 minutes, but still managed to contribute 13 points, five rebounds and three steals.
- Redshirt senior Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.) added 12 points, five rebounds and a career-high five blocks.
- Senior Nick MacDonald (Amherst, N.Y.) totaled 11 points and five rebounds, while fellow senior Ryan Salzberg (Manlius, N.Y.) added four points, five rebounds and six assists.
- Senior guard Abou Gbane scored a team-high 15 points for the Redhawks.
