AMHERST, N.Y. – Redshirt sophomore Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) scored 17 of his 27 points in the first half to lift the Daemen College men's basketball team to a 75-60 victory over Caldwell University here today during opening-round action of the ECC-CACC Challenge presented by WNY Knee & Orthopedic Surgery PC. The season-opening tournament features teams from the East Coast Conference and the Central Athletic Collegiate Conference.

Daemen, which has now won 17-consecutive season openers, is ranked No. 22 nationally in the Division II Bulletin preseason poll. Caldwell, which went 16-13 last year, was picked third in the CACC North Division preseason poll.

Sischo, the 2018-19 ECC Preseason Player of the Year, connected on 10-of-14 shots and also grabbed 10 rebounds. It marked his ninth career double-double. Sischo's 27 points were just two shy of the tournament record (29) set by former Daemen great Torrence Dyck in 2015. His 10 field goals tied the tournament record set five times previously. Redshirt junior Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.) connected on 4-of-8 three-pointers and added 18 points and five rebounds for the Wildcats, while sophomore Breon Harris (Niagara Fall, N.Y.) chipped in 13 points and four assists.

The hosts also got solid contributions from redshirt senior Deion Hamilton (Rochester, N.Y.) and newcomer Quinn Lee Yaw (Jamestown, N.Y.) Hamilton, who played in just 10 games last year, played 33 minutes and totaled eight points, eight rebounds and a career-high eight assists. His eight assists tied the tournament record set by Nardie Bogues of Post University in 2015. Lee Yaw, who sat out last year after transferring from Division I St. Bonaventure, played 24 minutes and totaled seven points and five rebounds.

Three players scored in double figures for Caldwell. Senior guard Ahmad Harrison (Newark, N.J.) totaled 13 points in just 19 minutes, while junior guard Ned Ogoemesim (Westhampton, N.J.) added 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Freshman guard Anthony Cooper (Ashburn, Va.) had a nice collegiate debut with two three-pointers and 10 points.

Daemen held a 12-10 lead six minutes into the contest when the hosts got two free throws from Sischo and a three-pointer by Harris. Caldwell answered with a 5-0 run of its own to once again make it a two-point game (17-15), before the Wildcats took their first double-digit lead following a 10-1 run. Sischo scored seven of the 10 points during the spurt and his conventional three-point play with 8:20 left in the half gave the hosts a 27-16 lead. The Cougars answered once again and eventually cut the lead to three points (30-27) following a triple by Cooper with 5:08 left in the half. Daemen would go on to take a 34-29 lead into the break.

Caldwell scored the first five points of the second half, but the Wildcats got a three-pointer from Hamilton and later took a 41-34 lead after Harris fed Sischo for a slam with 17:34 left. Caldwell answered with a three-pointer by senior Ahmad Harrison (Newark, N.J.), but Redband scored the next eight points after he drilled back-to-back three-pointers and converted a layup. The Daemen lead was 10 points, 49-39, when a layup by Sischo sparked the Wildcats on a 7-2 spurt. A conventional three-point play by Hamilton capped the run and gave the hosts a 56-41 lead with 13:31 left. Both teams struggled to score over the next five minutes and the Daemen lead was 11 points (58-47) when the Wildcats put the game out of reach with a 7-0 run. A layup by Harris started the run and his three-pointer with 7:29 left capped it and gave the Wildcats a 65-47 lead. Caldwell came no closer that 15 points over the final seven minutes.

Daemen shot 63-percent (17-for-27) from the field in the second half and finished 28-for-59 (47.5%) from the field overall. The Wildcats canned 9-of-25 three-pointers and finished 10-of-13 from the charity stripe. The Cougars shot 39-percent (21-for-54) from the field overall and made 7-of-21 from three-point land. Caldwell attempted 16 free throws and made 11. Daemen finished with a commanding 43-25 edge in total rebounds, and the hosts also posted a 32-22 advantage in points in the paint.

The Wildcats will face Nyack College in round two of the tournament tomorrow (Nov. 10) at 2 p.m. Caldwell will face Roberts Wesleyan College at noon. RWC defeated Nyack, 79-69, in today's other first-round game.

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