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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
sischo mbb vs wilmington 11.18.17
73
Wilmington (Del.) WILMU 2-2
79
Winner Daemen DAEM 3-1
Wilmington (Del.) WILMU
2-2
73
Final
79
Daemen DAEM
3-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Wilmington (Del.) WILMU 39 34 73
Daemen DAEM 40 39 79

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

S & S Connection Leads Daemen To Six-Point Win

AMHERST, N.Y. - Redshirt sophomore guard Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y.) and redshirt freshman center Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) combined for 37 points to lead the Daemen College men's basketball team to a 79-73 victory in non-league action against Wilmington University this afternoon at Lumsden Gymnasium.

In a back-and-forth affair that featured 10 ties and 13 lead changes, Sarkis pumped in a career-high 20 points and added four rebounds, three assists and a steal while playing a team-high 35 minutes. The 6-foot-9 Sischo dropped in a career-high 17 points and added a team-high six boards. 

The win pushes Daemen's record to 3-1 this season. The hosts were coming off a 69-55 loss to Mercyhurst University earlier this week. All three of Daemen's wins this season have come against Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference affiliates. Daemen is now 12-3 against CACC opponents in the last five seasons, including a 10-1 mark at Lumsden Gymnasium.

Wilmington (2-2), which was picked fourth in the CACC South Division preseason poll after going 19-10 last season, saw their modest two-game winning streak come to an end. Both of Wilmington's losses this season have come against affiliates of the East Coast Conference (WU lost 81-76 vs. NYIT on Nov. 10). 

Daemen's Darius Garvin (Elmira, N.Y.) snapped a 71-71 tie as he connected on the first of two free throws with 46 seconds remaining. His second attempt was off the mark but Sischo chased down the offensive rebound. On the ensuing possession, WU's Dawson Grinnage committed a foul despite what appeared to be coach Dan Burke's desire to play out the possession. Burke's disdain for the play caused him to react in a demonstrative fashion on the sidelines, and he was subsequently assessed a technical foul. Daemen would go on to make three of the four free throws that ensued, turning a slim one-point advantage into a two-possession lead at 75-71 with 28 ticks remaining. 

Wilmington came up empty on their next possession, and Sischo was fouled as he hauled in the rebound. His two freebies at the other end extended the Daemen lead to six (77-71) with under 20 seconds to play, all but sealing the deal.

Sarkis' production came on 6-of-10 shooting from the field (2-for-4 from three-point range) and a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line. Sischo was just as impressive, shooting 4-for-6 from the field, 1-for-1 from downtown and 8-for-8 at the charity stripe. Sischo's production came in a reserve role, helping Daemen to a 29-12 advantage in points off the pine.

Redshirt senior forward Aleks Miljenovic (Belgrade, Serbia) scored Daemen's first nine points and finished the game with 11. The hosts also got eight points and five boards from Garvin, while Deion Hamilton (Rochester, N.Y.) notched seven points, four rebounds, three assists and a career-high five steals. Redshirt junior guard Nick Petrucelli (Hicksville, N.Y.) came off the bench to score six points in 11 minutes; it was Petrucelli's first regular season action since Jan. 24, 2016 when he suffered an injury that cost him the remainder of that season plus all of the 2016-17 campaign. 

Redshirt senior guard Shawn Church (Darby, Pa.) paced Wilmington with 19 points, the majority of which came as part of his 5-for-13 effort from three-point range. The guests also got a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) from redshirt junior center Paul Medlin (Baltimore, Md.). 

Wilmington was dealt a blow when senior guard Nick Richards (New Castle, Del.) was forced to the bench with an injury after being fouled on a drive to the basket with 10:35 remaining. Richards, a second-team All-CACC pick last season, never returned and finished the game with 15 points and six assists. Wilmington led by five (61-56) when he departed, but was outscored 23-12 down the stretch in his absence.

Redshirt sophomore guard Jermaine Head (Edgewood, Md.), who scored 32 points in WU's 76-75 win at Millersville University earlier this week, was held to just nine points on 3-of-12 shooting. Head came in as WU's leading scorer, averaging 21.0 points per game. 

The Daemen win came despite being dominated on the glass. Wilmington owned a 52-28 rebounding advantage, and turned 24 offensive rebounds into a 21-11 edge in second chance points. 

After shooting 48.1 percent from the field in the first half, Wilmington cooled off considerably, going 12-for-46 in the second (26.1 percent). Daemen enjoyed 44.4 percent shooting for the game (24-for-54). 

Today's contest wrapped up Daemen's season-opening four-game homestand. The Wildcats are 73-11 at Lumsden Gymnasium since the start of the 2011-12 season.

Daemen will hit the road for the first time this season next weekend. They'll travel south to The Keystone State for a Thanksgiving weekend meeting (Sunday, Nov. 26) with Slippery Rock University.



 
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