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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
mbb vs slippery rock 11.25.16
Supreme Hannah scored 16 points and grabbed a career-best seven rebounds today
57
Slippery Rock ROCK-M 3-4, 0-2 PSAC
69
Winner Daemen DAEM 5-0, 0-0 ECC
Slippery Rock ROCK-M
3-4, 0-2 PSAC
57
Final
69
Daemen DAEM
5-0, 0-0 ECC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Slippery Rock ROCK-M 23 34 57
Daemen DAEM 42 27 69

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

Daemen Moves To 5-0 By Downing Slippery Rock

Wildcats Ride Hot First-Half Shooting To Insurmountable Lead

AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College men's basketball team placed four players in double figures and remained unbeaten this season after taking down visiting Slippery Rock University 69-57 in today's matinee affair at Lumsden Gymnasium.

At 5-0, the Wildcats are off to their best start since rattling off six consecutive wins to open the 2012-13 season, a year in which Daemen played an independent schedule as it began the transition process from the ranks of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to NCAA Division II.  It was also Daemen's second win in the last three days against a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference opponent.  The Wildcats went on the road this past Wednesday to beat Edinboro University 90-79.  Daemen opened the week with just three wins in their last nine chances against PSAC opponents dating back to the 2008-09 season.

Slippery Rock, which was coming off an 83-60 dismantling of East Coast Conference team University of the District of Columbia on Wednesday, fell to 3-4 overall this season with today's loss.  The Daemen win avenged a 72-51 loss at the hands of The Rock in Pennsylvania last December.

Daemen used 55-percent shooting in the first half, including 7-of-13 from three-point range (54-percent) to open up a 19-point halftime lead (42-23) that Slippery Rock could not overcome, despite outscoring the hosts 34-27 in the second half.  

An 11-0 run midway through the first half turned the Wildcats' slim three-point advantage (12-9) into their first double-figure lead of the game (23-11).  Redshirt-senior forward Arif Mehmetaj (Jamaica, N.Y./SUNY Delhi), who made his Lumsden Gymnasium season debut today after missing Daemen's first three home tilts, scored three buckets in the run which was capped by a three-pointer from redshirt-senior guard Jesse Lalka (Tonawanda, N.Y./Tonawanda) at the 8:17 mark.  In what became a theme of the first half, Daemen took advantage of five SRU turnovers in the stretch.

Later, Daemen closed the period on a 12-6 spurt in the final 5:17. Redshirt-freshman forward Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia) and redshirt-senior guard Supreme Hannah (Rochester, N.Y./Eastridge) combined for 10 points in the run, including Hannah's put-back of his own miss in the half's waning seconds.

Daemen turned 11 SRU first-half turnovers into a 17-4 advantage in points off miscues to aide in their dominant effort in the period.

With the three-point shots not dropping for the Wildcats early in the second half, and with SRU taking better care of the ball, The Rock were able to chip away at the Daemen lead, eventually whittling it down to just eight points with 6:05 remaining on a jumper by Khyree Wooten (Philadelphia, Pa.).

But that's as close as The Rock would get.  The teams traded baskets over the next five possessions, until an SRU turnover with 3:52 to play opened the door for Daemen to extend past a 10-point lead.  Out of the under-four media timeout, Mehmetaj drove to the cup and scored, putting Daemen comfortably ahead by 12 points (66-54) with 3:37 left.  The Rock never got back within single digits the remainder of the contest.

Hannah and Redband shared game-high honors with 16 points apiece, while the former hauled in a career-high seven rebounds.  Redband, who started 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from long distance in the first half (11 points), ended up shooting 6-for-11 overall and 4-for-7 from three-point range.  Hannah shot 7-of-15 from the field and added two assists.

Mehmetaj tossed in 14 points off the bench, while redshirt-sophomore wing Deion Hamilton (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) hit on 5-of-9 from the field for 12 points to go with a game-high four assists.

Redshirt-junior big man Amir Maddred (Camden, N.J.), standing 6-foot-7 and holding 240 pounds, was a load down low, leading SRU with 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting.  But, Maddred was forced into a team-high four turnovers as well.

Senior guard Naquil Jones (Philadelphia, Pa.), one of just two returners from The Rock's 2015-16 roster, chipped in 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

Merdic Green (Levittown, Pa.), a redshirt-junior guard who came in as SRU's leading scorer, was held to just five points on 2-of-7 shooting in 29 minutes of action.

Daemen ended the game with a 21-11 advantage in points off turnovers, and a 30-28 edge in points in the paint.  The Rock came in averaging 46.0 points per game in the paint in their last two victories.

Daemen looks to make it a perfect three-for-three against PSAC opponents this week when they visit Mercyhurst University on Sunday, November 27.  Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center in Erie, Pa.

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



 
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