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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
garvin mbb vs mercyhurst 11.14.17
69
Winner Mercyhurst MER-M 1-0
55
Daemen DAEM 2-1
Winner
Mercyhurst MER-M
1-0
69
Final
55
Daemen DAEM
2-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Mercyhurst MER-M 25 44 69
Daemen DAEM 29 26 55

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

Strong Second Half Lifts Mercyhurst Past Daemen

AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College men's basketball team saw its four-point halftime lead evaporate almost as quickly as it developed, ultimately surrendering 44 second-half points in a 69-55 loss to Mercyhurst University in non-conference action tonight at Lumsden Gymnasium. 

The loss was Daemen's first of the season, dropping the Wildcats' record to 2-1. Daemen was coming off back-to-back home wins this past weekend as part of the ECC-CACC Challenge presented by Western New York Knee and Orthopedic Surgery PC. 

Mercyhurst (1-0), which was picked third in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division preseason poll, picked up the victory in their 2017-18 season opener. The Lakers return nine players who averaged double-figure minutes from their 2016-17 team which went 14-14 overall. Traditionally one of the strongest defensive teams in the PSAC, the Lakers showed their calling card again tonight, holding Daemen to just 37.7 percent shooting for the game (20-for-53), including a chilly 25 percent from beyond the three-point arc (4-for-16). 

Daemen scored five points in the final 13 seconds of the first half, turning a one-point deficit (25-24) into a 29-25 edge. Redshirt sophomore guard Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y.) buried a corner three-pointer off a feed from Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.). As Mercyhurst raced down the floor for a last-ditch attempt, Harris came up with a steal and electrified the crowd with a one-handed slam just before the buzzer.

But, Daemen couldn't carry that momentum into the second half as Mercyhurst dug in with their vaunted matchup zone defense. A layup by Lorenzo Collier (Detroit, Mich.) pulled the Lakers even at 29-29 with 18:50 to go, and the guests would reclaim the lead on another Collier bucket at the 16:13 mark which made the score 35-34. As Daemen went cold, Collier caught fire; the 6-foot-3 senior guard scored 10 points in a little over six minutes to open the period. His back-to-back three-pointers, the second of which came at the 13:59 mark, gave the Lakers a 43-37 lead, prompting a Daemen timeout. 

Daemen chipped away and climbed within three points (49-46) when Sarkis made 2-of-3 free throws at the 9:38 mark after being fouled behind the arc. But Mercyhurst answered with five-straight points, all by senior guard Malcolm Waters (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) to push it back to an eight-point advantage (54-46). Daemen would get no closer than seven points the rest of the way. A three-minute drought between field goals helped Mercyhurst turn a 56-49 lead into a seemingly insurmountable double-figure edge (62-49). After a layup by Deion Hamilton (Rochester, N.Y.) at the 7:22 mark, Daemen was limited to just six points for the remainder of the contest.

Collier led the way for Mercyhurst, ending with a game-high 21 points, 15 of which came in the second half. After shooting just 2-for-8 from the field and 0-for-3 from downtown in the first 20 minutes, the veteran broke loose by shooting 6-for-7 from the field and 3-for-3 from long range in the second. 

Walters added 13 points, five boards and four assists to the Mercyhurst cause. Sophomore center Dontae Williams (Girard, Pa.) was efficient as well, scoring nine points on 3-of-4 shooting, while adding a team-high seven rebounds in 32 minutes of action.

After committing 13 turnovers in the opening half, Mercyhurst cut the miscues to just five and shot 60 percent from the field (18-for-30) in the second. For the game, Mercyhurst enjoyed 50.9 percent shooting (27-for-53).

Hamilton led Daemen with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting. The Wildcats entered the game with a 15-2 record since the start of last season when Hamilton shoots 50 percent or better from the field.

Sarkis also reached double figures with 11, shooting 3-for-7 from the field and 2-for-4 from long distance. Aleks Miljenovic (Belgrade, Serbia) tossed in seven points, while Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.), Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) and Harris notched six apiece. Harris added four assists, three steals and two blocks to his stat line.

The loss was just Daemen's 11th in the last 83 contests at Lumsden Gymnasium dating back to the start of the 2011-12 season. Mercyhurst becomes the second opposing team to own two wins here in that span, joining East Coast Conference foe St. Thomas Aquinas College. All other visitors are 7-72. 

Daemen's season-opening four-game homestand concludes this Saturday, Nov. 18 with Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference affiliate Wilmington University making their way to Western New York for a 2 p.m. tip-off. 



 
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