WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. - The Daemen Wildcats saw their season come to an end in heartbreaking fashion today as the Point Park Pioneers overcame a 24-point first half deficit to hand the Wildcats an 88-87 loss which eliminates them from American Mideast Conference playoff contention.  Senior guard Jimmy Sherwood provided to game's signature basket as he hit a tough runner over the top a Daemen defender with eight seconds left on the clock, sending the raucous home crowd at the CCAC South Gymnasium into a frenzy.  Daemen's Mujeeb Oridami had a good look at a three-point shot at the buzzer to win the game but it was off the mark.  Daemen ends its season at 14-15 overall and 9-9 in AMC play while Point Park improves to 15-11, 9-9 and qualifies for the AMC playoffs as the #5 seed by virtue of the league's tie-breaker system.

The Wildcats came out of the gates on fire and it looked as if they would cruise to their 10th conference win and lock up a playoff bid.  Daemen shot 55% from the field (18-for-33) in the opening stanza as they torched Point Park's 2-3 zone defense with a 10-for-18 showing (56%) from 3-point range.  Junior Dominic Mazzocchi combined with Oridami to lead the way as they combined for 28 first half points.  A Casey Sheehan jump shot put the Wildcats ahead 48-24 with 3:10 remaining.  Point Park responded with an 8-0 run to close the half, leaving the door open for a possible second half comeback.  The Pioneers, who average about 17 offensive rebounds a game (2nd in NAIA II), got their first two offensive rebounds of the half which both turned into buckets for senior forward Kris Douse during the spurt.

Point Park was able to chip away at the Daemen lead over the first 10 minutes of the period as they went 9-for-13 from the free throw line during that span, putting points on the board while the clock was stopped.  Daemen would end up being whistled for 16 fouls in the second half, resulting in 29 Pioneer free throws.  Ultimately, Point Park used a 12-2 run capped off with free throws from Josh Pohlot to tie the game at 64-64 with 10:20 remaining.

Daemen jumped back ahead on a Mazzocchi free throw and a basket from freshman Kadeem Johnson.  After Sherwood tied the game again at 68 apiece with 9:24 to go, Daemen would not relinquish the lead until the final minute.

With his team trailing 84-83, Sherwood knocked in a three-pointer with 48 ticks left on the clock, giving Point Park its first lead since they led 5-2 at the 17:34 mark of the first half.  

Mazzocchi answered as he canned a long three of his own off an inbounds play to put Daemen back ahead 87-86 with just 17 seconds to go.

That set the stage for Sherwood's heroics again as he connected on the eventual game-winner with 8 seconds remaining.  Daemen raced the ball to half court and called a timeout but their attempt to win the game out of the timeout was for naught.

Douse, the nation's leading rebounder and the second leading scorer in the AMC, came up big as he pumped in 28 points on 9-for-13 (69%) shooting from the field.  Douse, who started his career at Nebraska and also had a stint at Deleware State, added nine rebounds in 36 minutes of action.  Sherwood, an NCAA Division I transfer as well (Duquense), was next with 23 points, 18 of which came in the pivotal second half.

Point guard Joel Cashatt contributed 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists as he went the distance, playing the full 40 minutes without a breather.  The Pioneers also got key contributions from big man Devon Alexander and sharp-shooter Josh Trocchio.  Alexander scored 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting from the field and 5-for-6 from the charity stripe while Trocchio hit two big threes in the second half and totaled nine points for the game.

Mazzocchi tied Douse for game-high honors with 28 points while also grabbing five caroms.  Included in Mazzocchi's barrage of scoring was a season-high six three-pointers.  Matching his production from deep was Oridami who also nailed six threes on his way to 22 points.  As a team, Daemen connected on 14-for-27 (52%) behind the arc giving them their most productive day from distance all season.

Khorri Silcott came up with his team-leading seventh double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds.  Chandler Williams came off the bench to score 10 points in just 11 minutes while Sheehan and Mark Coppola split 10 assists between them.

Point Park moves on to the AMC Qualifying Tournament where they'll face #2 seed Cedarville on Tuesday.  In the other matchup on Tuesday, Malone heads to Roberts Wesleyan.  Tuesday's winners will play on Saturday at the highest seed remaining with the winner of that game gaining an automatic bid to the NAIA Division II National Tournament and the right to face #1-seeded Walsh for the AMC Tournament Championship the following week.  Walsh, the AMC regular season champion, has already locked up a bid to the national tournament and a bye into the AMC Tournament Championship Game.

Daemen, who as recently as Feb. 3 was in striking distance of 2nd place in the AMC standings, is left to lick its wounds as they dropped five of their final seven games to miss out on the playoffs.