AMHERST, N.Y. - The fifth-seeded Saint Michael's College men's basketball team saw its season come to an end on Sunday night in the semifinal round of the NCAA East Regional Championship, with an 85-62 loss to top-seeded and nationally fourth-ranked Daemen University in Lumsden Gymnasium. The Wildcats' national ranking is according to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
 
RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (19-14), Daemen (32-1)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Sophomore Abdur-Rahman De Leon (Roxbury, Mass./Saint Thomas More School), 15 points, 5-for-6 field goals, 3-for-3 three-pointers
• Senior Zocko Littleton (Albany, Ga./Osborne/Rider), 13 points, 5-for-12 field goals, 3-for-5 three-pointers
• Junior Latiek Briscoe Jr. (Brooklyn, N.Y./Saint Francis Prep/Saint Edward's), 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2-for-5 three-pointers
• Junior TJ Henaghen (Hampden, Maine/Williston Northampton School), 9 points, 2 assists, 4-for-6 field goals
• Sophomore Greg Kenney (Williston Park, N.Y./The Frederick Gunn School/LIU), 7 points, 7 rebounds
• First-year Quintin Floyd (Windsor, Conn./Choate Rosemary Hall), 4 assists

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Redshirt junior Benjamin Bill, 21 points, 9-for-11 field goals
• Junior Zach Philipkoski, 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4-for-8 three-pointers
• Junior Ryan Heath, 12 points, 6 rebounds, 6-for-9 field goals
• Senior Justin Glover, 11 points
• Redshirt senior Justin Hemphill, 8 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists

GAME FACTS

• After a 23-year absence from the NCAA Tournament, Saint Michael's qualified for the second time in three years, and for its 14th time overall.
• The Purple Knights also met Daemen in an NCAA East Regional Championship semifinal in 2024, when Saint Michael's won 86-62 as the No. 1 seed and host.
• The Purple and Gold set a school record by making 79.6% of its free throws this year. Its 522 made free throws were good for sixth in program annals, and the most since 1998-99 (532).
• The Purple Knights finished the year with the third-most three-pointers in program history (277), as each of their top three season performances have come in the last three years.
• Saint Michael's tied for ninth in the program's illustrious history with 19 wins this year.

THE ACTION

• Heath's pair of baskets keyed Daemen's 12-3 start, and Philipkoski's three-pointer at 13:42 pushed the lead to 20-7.
• The Purple Knight bench did all of the scoring in a 13-4 response, as De Leon netted eight himself. The visitors were within 24-20 after he drained a triple with 8:12 to go.
• Glover's four-point play at 5:56 sparked a 7-0 run, and the hosts carried a 38-27 lead into halftime.
• The lead bulged to 45-30 on redshirt junior Phil Nwugwo's lay-up at 16:17 of the second half before Saint Michael's twice trimmed its deficit to 13, for the final time on Floyd's jumper with 10:44 to go (49-36).
• The Purple Knights came no closer, as Daemen shot 52.9% in the stanza and 52.5% for the game to close out the victory.