AMHERST, N.Y. – Red-shirt senior Arif Mehmetaj (Jamaica, N.Y./SUNY Delphi) scored 26 points to lead the Daemen College men's basketball team to a 71-59 victory over Queens College here tonight in East Coast Conference action.
Daemen snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 17-8 overall and 11-6 in the ECC. The Wildcats maintained their hold on fourth place in the ECC standings with one game left in the regular-season. It marked the regular-season finale for Queens, which dropped to 13-12 overall and 10-8 in the ECC.
Both teams have secured a berth in the six-team ECC Championship Tournament. The top two seeds earn a first-round bye and the third and fourth seeds will host quarterfinal round games on March 1.
Daemen is now 13-2 at home this season, and an impressive 69-10 in the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium since the start of the 2011-12 season.
The game marked the final regular-season home contest for seniors Alex Borges ( Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep), Supreme Hannah (Rochester, N.Y./Eastridge), Jesse Lalka (Tonawanda, N.Y./Tonawanda), Mehmetaj and Jaleo Wilkes (Niagara Falls, N.Y./Polk State College). All five were honored during a pre-game ceremony.
It marked the sixth 20-point game of the season for Mehmetaj, and Daemen is now 5-1 when he scores 20 or more points. He connected on 9-of-19 shots and 6-of-7 free throws and also contributed six rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Sophomore Darius Garvin (Elmira, N.Y./Notre Dame) and Wilkes also played big roles in the win. Garvin was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and finished with 16 points, while Wilkes contributed 13 points, three assists and three steals.
Senior Tyree White (Brooklyn, N.Y.) paced the Knights with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, while classmate Kyheim Chaplin (Freeport, N.Y.) added 12 points.
Both teams struggled to score early in the game and it was knotted at 4-4 five minutes into the contest when a jumper by Wilkes sparked the Wildcats on a 9-0 run. Two free throws by freshman Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y./Batavia) with 13:05 left in the half capped the run and gave the hosts a 13-4 lead. The teams traded baskets for the next 10 minutes and the Daemen lead was still nine points, 28-19, when the hosts got a jumper by Garvin and two free throws by Mehmetaj for a 32-19 advantage. Queens doubled up Daemen (8-4) over the final three minutes of the frame and the Wildcats took a 36-27 lead into the break.
The Daemen lead was seven points, 40-33, three minutes into the second half when the Wildcats got two free throws from Borges and a three-pointer by Mehmetaj for a 45-33 lead. Queens answered with a 16-3 run over the next five minutes. The burst featured three three-pointers, and a triple by senior Diego Maldonado (Valley Stream, N.Y.) with 11:27 left capped the run and gave the Knights a 49-48 lead.
The next two minutes featured three lead changes and a tie. Two free throws by Wilkes with 9:12 left gave the Wildcats the lead for good at 52-51, and two minutes later White picked up his fourth personal foul and went to the bench. Daemen took advantage and increased the lead to eight points, 61-53, after Wilkes drained a three-pointer with just under five minutes to play. The lead was still eight points, 63-55, when Garvin drained a three-pointer off a feed from Mehmetaj with 3:22 left. Daemen went scoreless for the next two minutes and lead was seven points, 66-59, when Garvin hit another clutch three-pointer with 43 seconds left to secure the win.
Daemen shot 50-percent (15–30) from the field in the first half and finished 25-for-60 (42%) overall. The Wildcats connected on 6-of-16 from three-point land and made 15-of-21 free throws. Queens also shot 25-for-60 (42%) from the field overall, but made just 7-of-26 three-point attempts. The Knights attempted just nine free throws in the contest and made just two.
Queens finished with a slim 40-37 edge in total rebounds, but the visitors turned the ball over 13 times and Daemen converted those miscues into a 16-7 advantage in points off turnovers. The Wildcats also finished with a 24-12 edge in bench points.
Daemen closes out the regular-season Saturday (Feb. 25) when it travels to long-time rival Roberts Wesleyan College for a league game.
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