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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
sischo mbb vs buffalo
Andrew Sischo now has five straight double-doubles after today's 31-point, 15-rebound performance
71
Slippery Rock M-643
78
Winner Daemen M-30174
Slippery Rock M-643
71
Final
78
Daemen M-30174
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Slippery Rock M-643 30 41 71
Daemen M-30174 39 39 78

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

Wildcats Get Back On Track By Outlasting Slippery Rock

AMHERST, N.Y. - Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) recorded his fourth double-double in as many games this season, totaling 31 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Daemen College men's basketball team to a 78-71 non-conference victory over Slippery Rock University at Lumsden Gymnasium today. The result got Daemen back in the win column, improving to 3-1 on the season. The Wildcats had been idle since Nov. 14 when they suffered a 67-65 road loss at Mercyhurst University. Slippery Rock, which was picked second in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division preseason poll, dropped to 1-4 on the season.

Sischo, the East Coast Conference Preseason Player of the Year, has now posted five straight double-doubles dating back to the end of last season, and today's production marked the second 30-point game of his career. He did damage from the field (10-for-21) and the charity stripe (11-for-12), while getting the better of a highly anticipated matchup with Slippery Rock's Micah Till. The SRU big man was an All-PSAC West and All-Atlantic Region selection last year, and was named a preseason All-American by Street & Smith Magazine earlier this fall. Till put up 21 points on 9-of-22 shooting, and added nine boards and three blocks.

Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.) canned a trio of three-pointers and a career-high nine free throws as part of his 20-point effort. It was just two points shy of his career-high, and his first 20-point outing since scoring 22 vs. Long Island University Post on Jan. 25, 2017. The 6-foot-7 redshirt junior forward is shooting a blistering 64.7 percent from three-point range so far this season (11-for-17). 

Deion Hamilton (Rochester, N.Y.) chipped in with 12 points and a season-high 10 rebounds, marking the second double-double of his career, and his first since the 2015-16 season. Hamilton, who has now scored 10 or more points in three straight games, added three assists today, sharing team-high honors with junior guard Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.). 

The Wildcats were shorthanded in the backcourt again as incumbent starter Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y.) missed his third straight game with an injury. Redshirt senior Nick Petrucelli (Hicksville, N.Y.) was also out, but the Wildcats did regain the services of the senior Darius Garvin (Elmira, N.Y.). Garvin, who entered the season a bit hampered, had missed the last game at Mercyhurst, as well as much of the previous game vs. Nyack College. He was able to play 29 minutes off the bench today, scoring four points while grabbing two rebounds and dishing two assists.

Jared Armstrong came off the bench to score 20 points in a losing effort for SRU. The Rock also got nine points from Nik Cazacu, and a team-high 13 rebounds from Vinny Lasley. 

Slippery Rock never led in the opening half, and Daemen outscored them 22-13 in the final nine minutes, turning a 17-17 tie into a nine-point bulge (39-30) at the break. The run got started with a three-pointer by freshman guard Trevor Book (North Tonawanda, N.Y.), and Redband notched eight points, including a pair of triples, in the spurt. Till went to the bench and didn't return for the remainder of the half after picking up his second personal foul at the 8:18 mark. 

With Till back on the floor to start the second half, SRU came out swinging and scored 13 straight points. Lasley connected on a pick-and-pop three-pointer to open the frame, and Cazacu's three-pointer at the 18:06 mark gave The Rock their first lead of the game (41-39). Till scored a pair of buckets in the run, including a layup at the 17:41 mark. Harris finally ended the scoring drought for Daemen, connecting on a three-pointer from the left wing at the 16:39 mark. 

Till headed back to the bench a short time later after picking up his third personal foul. SRU held a 47-44 lead at the time, but it would be short-lived as the Wildcats embarked on a 12-3 run to regain control. Sischo and Hamilton went to work offensively, scoring six points apiece in the spurt, including Sischo's layup at the 13:30 mark which put the Wildcats on top for good.

It was a five-point Daemen lead (58-53) with under seven minutes to go when Till was whistled for a technical foul. That forced him back to the bench, and Daemen pushed the lead up to eight points on a pair of Sischo free throws as the clock approached the four-minute mark. 

SRU drew within four points (65-61) following an Armstrong layup with 1:53 to go, but Daemen got a hanging jumper by Garvin on their ensuing possession, and the Wildcats shot 11-for-14 from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the deal.

Quality free throw shooting was key throughout the game as the Wildcats canned 25 of their 30 attempts (83.3%), outscoring SRU (7-of-8 FT) by 18 points from the line. The Wildcats shot just 40.7 percent from the field (24-for-59), but also limited The Rock to 37 percent shooting (27-for-73).

The Wildcats, who are ranked seventh in this week's D2SIDA East Region poll, improved to 14-3 in November home games under head coach Mike MacDonald who took the reins of the program prior to the 2014-15 season. Daemen has won seven straight home games overall, and the Wildcats are 85-13 at Lumsden Gymnasium since the start of the 2011-12 season.

Today's game marked the fourth straight season that the Wildcats and Rock have met, and the home team has prevailed in each meeting. Daemen exacted some revenge after falling by just three points (80-77) in last season's game at SRU. Sischo had a breakout game in that one, totaling 24 points and nine boards off the bench. In two career games against SRU, Sischo is shooting 53.7 percent from the field (22-for-41) and averaging 27.5 points and 12 rebounds per game.

Daemen returns to action Monday (Nov. 26) when they host Lake Erie College at 7 p.m. in their final tune-up before opening East Coast Conference play on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at Roberts Wesleyan College.

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