ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. - Redshirt-junior forward Arif Mehmetaj (Jamaica, N.Y./SUNY Delhi) sank nine of his 11 field goal attempts, including a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range, to lead Daemen College to a 76-74 victory over host Molloy College in East Coast Conference men's basketball action at Quealy Gymnasium tonight.  The victory, Daemen's 13th in the last 15 outings, clinches the No. 2 seed and a bye into the semifinal round in the upcoming ECC Tournament for the Wildcats who will be making their first-ever conference tournament appearance at the NCAA Division II level.

The two-point win matches Daemen's tightest victory of the year as the Wildcats improve to 18-8 overall and 14-5 in league play.  Daemen, which is tied for 10th in the latest D2SIDA East Region media poll, sits alone in second place in the ECC standings with just one game remaining in the regular season.

Unfortunately for the Lions, the close defeat was par for the course as they are now just 2-9 in games decided by six points or fewer this season.  Tonight's loss officially eliminates Molloy (9-18, 7-12 ECC) from ECC Tournament contention.  The Lions had entered this weekend needing a sweep of their two games plus help from around the league to have a chance at grabbing the sixth and final ECC tourney bid.

It was a big time bounce back game for Mehmetaj who had been mired in a bit of a slump, averaging just 7.4 points per game over Daemen's last five outings.  The production marked Mehmetaj's 20th double-figure scoring game this season, and his ninth with at least 20 points.  The 6-foot-7 forward added eight boards and two blocked shots as well.

Freshman guard Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) continued his long range assault, canning 5-of-9 from three-point range as part of his 17-point performance.  It was the greenhorn's second-straight game with five three-point field goals, and his 36 triples this season are the most for a Daemen freshman since Casey Sheehan (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) canned 32 during the 2010-11 season.

Daemen also got double-figure scoring tonight from grad student Ryan Grandits (Kenmore, N.Y./Medaille College) and senior Torrence Dyck (Rochester, N.Y./San Jacinto College).  Grandits came off the bench to score 14 points in 26 minutes, and has now reached double figures in five-straight games, averaging 12.6 points per game in that span.  Dyck, the ECC's leading scorer, was limited to just 11 points, tied for his second-lowest output of the season, but he managed to match a career-high by grabbing 12 rebounds to post his third-straight double-double, and his sixth of the season.

Jaylen Morris recorded a double-double (20 points, game-high 13 rebounds) to lead Molloy.  The Lions also got 17 points, six boards and six steals from Charlie Marquardt.  Brandon Williams chipped in with 11 points before fouling out and Maurice Gatson came off the bench to score 10 points.

Molloy jumped out ahead and led for the majority of the first 12 minutes before Daemen embarked on a 22-3 run to close the first half, heading into the locker room with a 37-24 lead.  The run was bookended by two three-pointer from Sarkis who scored nine points in the spurt, the second of which came with just four ticks remaining before the half.  Two free throws from reserve forward Xavier Long (Brooklyn, N.Y./Williamsburg Prep) gave Daemen just its third lead of the game, and one which they would not relinquish.

Daemen led by as many as 14 points throughout the early portions of the second half before Molloy staged its rally to get back in contention.  A three-pointer by Mehmetaj at the 10:29 mark put the guests ahead 59-45 and it appeared as if Daemen might cruise to the victory.  But, Molloy went on a 13-1 run, cutting the deficit to just two (60-58) following a layup by Marquardt with 7:02 remaining.  Marquardt accounted for seven points in the spurt.

Grandits answered with an old-fashioned three-point play, and five-straight points by Mehmetaj put Daemen back ahead by six (68-62) with under four minutes to go.  

From there, Molloy got within a single possession three times in the game's final 2:06.  Mehmetaj converted a pair of free throws to bring it back to a two-possession game twice, and the third time came in the final 5 seconds of the game.  Two missed free throws by Daemen with three ticks left opened the door for a miraculous Molloy ending, but it never manifested itself.  Daemen shot 6-of-10 from the charity stripe in the final two minutes which was good enough to seal the deal.

Daemen shot 46-percent from the field (25-for-55) in the game, including 9-of-20 from three-point range (45-percent).  The hosts were limited to just 38-percent field-goal shooting (28-for-74) and a chilly 24-percent from long range (4-for-17).  

The win came despite a season-high 25 turnovers for the Wildcats which resulted in a 24-9 advantage in points off miscues for the Lions.  Daemen committed 17 second-half turnovers which aided the Lions' comeback.  It was the first Daemen victory in a game with 20 or more turnovers since December 22, 2013 vs. Queens (90-77 win with 20 turnovers).

Daemen is now 3-3 in games decided by six points or less this season.  All three of the losses came in the first six games of the season.

The win also moved Daemen to 8-3 in true road games this season, including a 7-2 in ECC roadies.  Daemen is now 16-6 in February league games since joining the ECC for the 2013-14 season.

Daemen closes the regular season on Sunday against Queens College (3:30 p.m.) at Fitzgerald Gymnasium.  The Wildcats' potential ECC Tournament opponent will be determined by a play-in game on Wednesday, March 2.  Tournament seeds three through six are still up for grabs as regular season play winds down this weekend.