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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
mbb at bridgeport 12.10.16
Jeff Redband's 17 points and six rebounds paced Daemen today
69
Daemen DAEM 5-4, 0-3 ECC
79
Winner Bridgeport BPTM 7-2, 3-0 ECC
Daemen DAEM
5-4, 0-3 ECC
69
Final
79
Bridgeport BPTM
7-2, 3-0 ECC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Daemen DAEM 31 38 69
Bridgeport BPTM 35 44 79

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

Wildcats Suffer Fourth Straight Setback

Loss sends Daemen to 5-4 on the season, 0-3 in league play

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - In a game that featured 13 lead changes, the University of Bridgeport walked away with a 79-69 win over Daemen College in East Coast Conference men's basketball action today at Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium, sending the Wildcats to 5-4 on the season, and 0-3 in league play.

Daemen, which started 5-0 for the first time since the 2012-13 season, has now dropped four straight, including two that went to overtime, and the Wildcats have held second-half leads in each game.  It's the team's first four-game slump since dropping six in a row during the 2010-11 season.

Meanwhile, the host Purple Knights, who saw their string of three consecutive ECC Tournament titles snapped last season, picked up their fifth straight win to improve to 7-2 overall this season, while remaining unbeaten (3-0) in ECC play.  UB entered today's game ranked seventh in the latest D2SIDA East Region media poll.

Junior guard Carlos DeJesus (Bronx, N.Y.) canned 5-of-6 three-point attempts and finished with 17 points to lead the Purple Knights.  DeJesus' sharp-shooting was part of UB's 10-for-19 showing from long distance, including 6-for-9 in the second half alone.

Sophomore wing Rakim Lesane (Coney Island, N.Y.) came off the bench to score 15 points and grab seven rebounds in just 18 minutes worth of action, sparking UB to a 28-9 edge in points from reserves.  Kyle Benjamin (Bronx, N.Y.), a 6-foot-9 senior center, scored 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season.  Benjamin, who previously played at Erie Community College for Daemen Hall of Famer Alex Nwora, is the reigning ECC Player of the Week and he leads the country in double-doubles so far this season.

Redshirt-freshman forward Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia) paced the Wildcats today with 17 points, 12 of which came during the first half when he keyed an 18-2 run that put Daemen ahead by 15 points.  Redband, who also corralled a team-high six rebounds, shot 6-of-9 from the field overall and 5-of-7 from three-point range.  He's now hit four or more three-pointers in three of the last six games, and his 22 three-point baskets this season lead the team while also ranking seventh among all ECC players.

Sophomore guard Darius Garvin (Elmira, N.Y./Notre Dame) chipped in with 14 points - one shy of his career-high - as he reached double figures for the second consecutive game.  He teamed with backcourt mate Supreme Hannah (Rochester, N.Y./Eastridge) to produce 24 of Daemen's 38 second-half points, as Hannah notched all 12 of his points after halftime.  Hannah, a 6-foot redshirt-senior, added a team-high four assists.

Deion Hamilton (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) and Arif Mehmetaj (Jamaica, N.Y./SUNY Delhi) also neared double figures with nine and eight points, respectively.  Mehmetaj, who entered today's contest as the Wildcats' leading scorer at 15.6 points per game, was held under 10 points for the second time during this recent four-game slide.

When Daemen took a 26-11 lead early in the game, it looked like it might be a runaway for the visitors, but UB buckled down.  Garvin's layup at the 7:37 mark of the first half capped the afore-mentioned 18-2 run which featured four Wildcat three-pointers (three from Redband), and Bridgeport responded by holding Daemen without a point over the next four-and-a-half minutes.  The hosts scored 14 unanswered themselves, sparking what turned out to be a 24-5 spurt to close the period.  A DeJesus three-pointer knotted the score at 31-31 with 1:39 to go, and Benjamin scored back-to-back buckets in the final 1:06 to put the Purple Knights on top by four (35-31) at the break, despite Daemen leading for 13 minutes in the period.

The teams would go on to trade the lead eight times over the first 15 minutes of the second half, including six times between the 11:20 and 5:52 marks.  Neither team could separate by more than three points in the span.  

Mehmetaj scored on a baseline drive with 6:05 to play, putting the Wildcats ahead by one (59-58), but UB answered with the 13th and final lead change of the game on the ensuing possession, getting a three-pointer from junior wing Sam Joseph (Brooklyn, N.Y.) which sparked an 8-0 run.  A Daemen shot clock violation - their second of the half - was met with a layup by senior guard/forward Stefano Osuji (Voorhees, N.J.).  Mehmetaj was off the mark from three-point land on Daemen's next possession, opening the door for DeJesus to put the hosts in control at 66-59 with his fourth three-pointer of the game at the 4:44 mark.

Daemen would cut it back to a five-point deficit (66-61) following a fastbreak layup by Hannah, but a couple of empty possessions later and DeJesus struck again, canning his fifth triple of the game to put UB back ahead by eight (69-61) with 2:25 to play.  After the lead grew to 10 points (71-61) on a jumper by sophomore guard D'Vonne Trumbo (Franklinville, N.J.) with 1:34 left, Daemen would get no closer than eight points for the remainder of the contest.

The teams ended the game shooting a comparable percentage from the field (26-for-60, 43.3 percent for Bridgeport; 28-for-65, 43.1 percent for Daemen), but the hosts were far more efficient from long distance (10-for-19, 52.6 percent for Bridgeport; 8-for-26, 30.8 percent for Daemen) while also enjoying a 17-5 edge in points at the free throw line.  The Purple Knights, aided by nine attempts in final minute, got to the charity stripe 20 times in the game, compared to just six for the Wildcats.

The game today concluded Daemen's season-long stretch of four consecutive road games.  The Wildcats are now home for a season-long stretch of five in a row from December 14 through January 4.  Home cooking might be just what's in order as the Wildcats are 4-0 this season, and 60-8 since the start of the 2011-12 season, in games at Lumsden Gymnasium.  Daemen hosts N.Y. Institute of Technology next Wednesday (Dec. 14) in their first home league game of the season, with tip-off slated for 6 p.m.  Wednesday's contest will serve as Daemen's celebration of Hometown Heroes Night with free admission offered to active and retired military personnel, police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and first responders.  For a complete look at upcoming promotions and events surrounding Daemen basketball games, click HERE.

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