SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University men's basketball team withstood a late rally by Daemen College en route to an 80-77 victory here today. SRU, a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, improved to 4-2 on the year, while Daemen dropped to 3-2.
The Wildcats trailed by 10 points, 80-70, with just under a minute to play, but Daemen rallied and eventually made it a one-possession game following a layup by redshirt junior Deion Hamilton (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) with nine seconds to play. SRU turned the ball over on the ensuing play, giving Daemen a chance to tie the game. After a timeout by Daemen, the Wildcats set up a play for redshirt sophomore Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia)—who had hit on 5-of-7 three-pointers in the game. Redband was guarded tightly by SRU and was unable to get off the game-tying shot before the final buzzer sounded.
Redshirt freshman Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y./Guilderland) paced the Wildcats today, as the 6-foot-9 center connected on 10-of-20 shots and and scored a career-high 24 points. He also established a career-high for minutes played (28), rebounds (9), blocks (2) and steals (2). The rookie is averaging a team-high 13.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in just 17 minutes off the bench through the first five games. Redband added 15 points and four assists, while Hamilton finished with 13 points. Redshirt sophomore Jay Sarkis ( Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) added seven points and a team-high six assists.
Redshirt senior Khyree Wooten (Philadelphia, Pa.) led The Rock with 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, while redshirt sophomore Micah Till (Upper Marlboro, Md.) connected on 7-of-10 shots and totaled 16 points. Junior Brandon Simmons (Harlem, N.Y.) chipped in 12 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.
SRU jumped out to an early 13-3 lead, and the lead was 19-10 when the Wildcats put together an 8-2 run. A three-pointer by redshirt senior Aleks Miljenovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Roberts Wesleyan) capped the spurt and cut the lead to 21-18 midway through the first half. SRU was able to maintain the lead for the remainder of the half, eventually taking a seven-point advantage, 36-29, following a jumper by senior Richard Bivens (Bakersfield, Calf.) with 3:50 left before intermission. Daemen answered quickly with a three-pointer by redshirt junior Nick Petrucelli (Hicksville, N.Y./Thomasville Prep), and later cut the lead to two points, 38-36, following a layup by Sischo with 2:16 left. The teams traded baskets the rest of the half and SRU took a 42-40 lead into the break.
The SRU lead bounced between three and seven points for the first seven minutes of the second half, before the Wildcats made it a one-point game, 55-54, following a three-pointer by Redband with 12:58 left. The Wildcats later took their first lead since the early stages of the first half after a Sarkis three-pointer gave them a 64-61 lead with 9:47 to play. The next three minutes featured five lead changes and one tie as the teams battled back-and-forth. A triple by Hamilton with 7:09 left gave Daemen what would be its final lead of the game at 70-69. The Wildcats would go scoreless over the next six minutes, which allowed The Rock to build an 80-70 lead—setting up the frantic final minute of play.
Daemen shot 48-percent (31-for-64) from the field overall and drained a season-high 10 three pointers (19 attempts) in the game. The Wildcats attempted just seven free throws in the game and made five. The hosts shot 53-percent (30-for-57) from the field overall and made 4-of-9 from downtown. SRU went 16-for-21 from the line and outscored the Wildcats 16-5 from the charity stripe. SRU finished with a 38-26 edge in total rebounds. The hosts grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, which led to a 14-7 edge in second-chance points.
The Wildcats return to action Tuesday when they host Edinboro University in a non-league game.
Follow Daemen College athletics on Twitter (@DaemenAthletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/daemencollegeathletics) to get live game updates and breaking news throughout the year.
