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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
mbb at siena 11.2.16
Deion Hamilton hit 7-of-15 from the field and totaled 15 points tonight
65
Daemen DAEM 0-0
92
Winner Siena SIE 0-0
Daemen DAEM
0-0
65
Final
92
Siena SIE
0-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Daemen DAEM 33 32 65
Siena SIE 51 41 92

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Mike Miranto, Associate A.D. For Communications

Division I Siena Tops Daemen In Exhibition Opener

LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - Playing its first of two exhibition contests against NCAA Division I opponents to tune up for the 2016-17 regular season, the Daemen College men's basketball team fell 92-65 to Siena College before a crowd of 755 at the Alumni Recreation Center this evening.

The game also marked the exhibition opener for Siena, a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.  The Saints, who were picked third in the MAAC preseason poll, return nine players, including four starters, from their 2015-16 team which went 21-13 overall while earning a postseason berth in the College Basketball Invitational.

Senior guard Marquis Wright (Waldorf, Md.), a Preseason Third-Team All-MAAC pick, paced a quartet of double-figure scorers for the Saints with 21 points, while adding 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals.  Senior forward Javion Ogunyemi (Troy, N.Y.), the reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, and sophomore guard Nico Clareth (Baltimore, Md.), the reigning MAAC Sixth Player of the Year, each registered 13 points, while sophomore forward Evan Fisher (Pasadena, Md.) came off the bench to hit five three-pointers as part of his 17-point outing.

Redshirt-senior forward Arif Mehmetaj (Jamaica, N.Y./SUNY Delhi) led Daemen with 17 points and five boards.  Mehmetaj hit 6-of-12 field goal attempts, including a pair of three-pointers before fouling out with 6:51 to play.  The Wildcats also got double-figure scoring from redshirt-sophomore wing Deion Hamilton (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) and senior guard Jaleo Wilkes (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Polk State College) who notched 15 and 12 points, respectively.

Daemen misfired on their first 10 field goal attempts, falling behind 22-2 before Mehmetaj broke the ice from the field at the 12:38 mark of the first half.  Another Mehmetaj bucket at the 1:42 mark brought Daemen within 15 points (47-32) before the hosts took an 18-point advantage (51-33) into the halftime intermission.

Siena used 61-percent shooting (20-for-33) and racked up 32 points in the paint to open their first-half lead.  The Wildcats committed 10 first-half turnovers which didn't help matters as the Saints turned those into 14 points.

The second half played out essentially even until the Saints closed on a 13-4 run in the final 3:55 of the contest, turning a 79-61 lead into the 27-point final margin.  Daemen pulled within 14 twice in the second half -  first on a Hamilton layup at the 10:27 mark, and later on a pair of free throws by Wilkes with 6:09 to play.  Both were met with scores at the other end on the Saints' ensuing possessions.

Fisher led a three-point barrage in the second half for Siena, converting all four of his attempts from deep.  The Saints shot 7-of-12 (58-percent) from three-point range in the period.

For the game, Siena shot 60-percent from the field (34-for-57) while Daemen converted just 39-percent of its shots (24-for-62). 

Wilkes logged 29 minutes, and his backcourt mate Darius Garvin (Elmira, N.Y./Notre Dame) put in a game-high 36 minutes worth of work, scoring six points.  Daemen played without injured guards Supreme Hannah (Rochester, N.Y./Eastridge), Nick Petrucelli (Hicksville, N.Y./Thomasville Prep) and Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena).  Sarkis, who made 26 starts as a true freshman last year, has been ruled out for the season, but Hannah and Petrucelli are expected to return.

The game marked Daemen's fourth exhibition against a Division I opponent in the last four seasons.  The Wildcats were seeking their first win in such games since knocking off Canisius College 83-81 in overtime on November 11, 2014.

Daemen gets another shot when they make the short three-mile trip to Alumni Arena this Friday evening (November 4) to face the two-time defending Mid-American Conference champs from the University at Buffalo.  Tip-off is slated for 8:30 p.m.

For breaking news and continuing coverage of the Daemen men's basketball team, follow @DaemenAthletics and @DaemenMBB on Twitter.

 
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