OCEANSIDE, Calif.- Senior forward Malcolm Lemmons, a transfer from Niagara University, netted 20 points while teammate Bobby Macias added 15 points, as the California State University-San Marcos men's basketball team, a NAIA Division I Independent, posted an 88-74 victory over Daemen College tonight at the MiraCosta College Gymnasium.
This was CSUSM's 2013-14 season home opener in which they improved to a clean 4-0 on the year while Daemen, dropped even at 2-2.
Senior guard
Casey Sheehan (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) led Daemen with 23 points and five assists, while senior forward
Uchechi Ogbonna (Hicksville, N.Y./Erie CC) added an all around performance with 12 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and six steals.
Gerald Beverly (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili), who fought constant double-teams for the second straight night, also chipped in 11 points and nine boards for the Wildcats.
CSUSM took a 14-6 lead following a jumper by senior Adam Eakles with 14:25 left to go in the first half. The teams traded baskets for the next five minutes before a fast break layup by Lemmons sparked the hosts to a 35-17 lead at the 7:26 mark. A layup by sophomore
Supreme Hannah (Rochester, N.Y. / Eastridge) helped chip away at the hosts lead but the Cougars responded quickly with a three ball from senior Jason Johnson. Daemen went on a 11-6 run just before the halftime buzzer sounded leaving the score 51-37 at intermission.
A barrage of three-pointers helped CSUSM to their halftime lead as the Cougars connected on 10-of-17 (59-percent) rom three-point range in the opening stanza. Daemen managed just 1-for-12 (8-percent) shooting from deep in the half.
The Cougars came out for second half and took a 22-point lead, 61-39, following free throw baskets from Lemmons with 16:54 left. Daemen cut the lead to 13 points, 64-51, after junior
Jordan Greene (Fort Edward, N.Y./South Glens Falls) hit a jumper, but the Cougars answered with a decisive 15-2 run to earn their largest lead of the night. A layup by senior De'End Parker with 9:05 left capped the run and gave CSUSM a 79-53 lead. The Cougars maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way as the Wildcats came no closer than 15 points.
CSUSM, a team that features nine NCAA Division I transfers, shot 51-percent (31-61) from the field (59-percent in the first half) and made 12-of-25 from behind the arc. The Cougars posted a 26-15 edge in points off the bench and also held an 18-12 advantage in fast break points.
Daemen is idle until next Saturday (Nov. 23) when it hosts Mercyhurst University at 4 p.m.
It will be Amherst Youth Basketball (AYB) Day at Lumsden Gymnasium. All participants in AYB are invited to attend free of charge when wearing their uniform to the game. Two AYB teams will play a mini-game at halftime of the Daemen-Mercyhurst game as well.
