AMHERST, N.Y. - Deion Hamilton (Rochester, N.Y.) canned six three-pointers and matched his career-high with 26 points, and Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) scored 20 points in his return to the lineup, helping Daemen College knock off nationally-ranked Saint Anselm College 78-72 in a non-conference men's basketball game that was dubbed the regional "Game of the Year" by the experts at d2easthoops.org. The game lived up to the hype as the team's combined for 13 lead changes, but the longest winning streak in the region now belongs to Daemen which has won eight straight contests, improving to 10-1 this season. St. Anselm (10-1 overall), which is ranked ranked fourth in both the Division II Sports Information of Directors of America (D2SIDA) and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) national polls, had entered the game as winners of their first 10 games this season.

Daemen's stingy defense was on full display again today. The Wildcats, who entered the game allowing a region-low 64.3 points per game, held St. Anselm to a season-low 72 points, and just 41.9 percent field goal shooting (26-for-62). The veteran-laden Hawks came in as the second-best scoring (88.6 ppg) and shooting (50.8 FG%) team in the region.

Hamilton, a 6-foot-4 redshirt senior, scored 18 of his 26 points in the pivotal second half, helping Daemen rally from a five-point halftime deficit. He shot 9-for-18 from the field, 6-for-10 from three-point range and 2-for-2 from the free throw line, while also adding nine rebounds and two steals. It marked Hamilton's second game this season with at least 20 points, and Daemen improved to 20-7 over the last three seasons when he shoots 50 percent or better from the field.

Sischo, who had missed the previous two games with an injury, made his presence felt at both ends of the floor after entering the game off the bench. He shot 8-for-14 from the field and 4-for-6 from the charity stripe, while adding five rebounds and three blocks. The East Coast Conference Preseason Player of the Year has now reached 20 points in six of the nine games he's played in this season. 

Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y.) connected on a trio of three-pointers as part of his season-high 13-point effort. Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.) and Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) played keyed roles today as well, primarily on the backboard where Daemen out-rebounded the Hawks 44-35. Redband hauled in a season-high nine rebounds, and Harris corralled a season-best eight boards. Quinn Lee Yaw (Jamestown, N.Y.) chipped in with seven points and a team-high four assists.

The Hawks were led by Gustav Suhr-Jessen who buried a quartet of three-pointers en route to 20 points. Senior guard Tim Guers, the reigning Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year, narrowly missed a triple-double (16 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists), and Cody Ball chimed in with 11 points and eight rebounds. 

Sarkis and Sischo accounted for every point in a quick 9-0 spurt that allowed Daemen to open up an early 17-9 lead. St. Anselm came back and took a 26-25 lead on Guers' jumper from inside the paint at the 3:05 mark. That ignited the guests on an 8-2 run as they took a 32-27 lead into halftime.

The St. Anselm run extended into the second half when two quick buckets extended their lead to 10 points (37-27), but Daemen came right back with 10-2 spurt of their own. The teams would go on to trade the lead seven times in the period. With Sischo double-teamed on the low block, he kicked the ball out to Hamilton who drained a three-pointer at the 7:20 mark to give Daemen the lead (56-55) and kick-start a 13-4 run.

Daemen led 66-59 with under five minutes to play when St. Anselm came roaring back. The Hawks got three-pointers from Ball and Suhr-Jessen sandwiched around a pair of Guers free throws to reclaim the lead at 67-66. Daemen came right back with a lead-changing three-pointer by Redband at the 3:10 mark, and a driving layup by Hamilton with 2:28 to play.

Suhr-Jessen canned another triple for the Hakws, bringing them within 71-70, but Hamilton hit his sixth three-pointer of the day on the ensuing Daemen possession to push it back to a two-possession lead as the clock ticked under 2:00. Both teams came up empty over the next several possessions. Lee Yaw was fouled while grabbing a defensive rebound, and he split a pair of bonus free throws to put Daemen ahead 75-70 with 22 seconds remaining. St. Anselm pushed the ball in transition, but Sischo came up with a chase-down block, followed by a steal from Redband. Hamilton's two free throws with six seconds on the clock sealed the deal.

After attempting just one free throw in the opening stanza, a steady dose of Sischo down low led to an 11-for-15 showing from the line in the second. The Wildcats also shot 8-for-13 from the three-point line after halftime as they outscored St. Anselm 51-40 in the period. 

Daemen is now a perfect 7-0 at home this season, and the win extended their home-court winning streak to 11 straight games. The Wildcats are 89-13 at Lumsden Gymnasium since the start of the 2011-12 season. It was also the second win in Daemen's NCAA Division II era against a nationally-ranked opponent. That last happened on Jan. 4, 2017 when the Wildcats knocked off No. 23 Saint Thomas Aquinas College 67-64 in a game that also occurred at Lumsden Gymnasium.

Daemen is the last remaining East Region team without a loss to a regional opponent this season. The Wildcats are a perfect 8-0 vs. East Region opponents this season, and 93-30 in all regional games since joining the East Coast Conference in 2013-14. 

St. Anselm, which has been ranked first in every D2SIDA East Region media poll this season, tasted defeat for the first time since an 83-71 loss to the College of Saint Rose in the opening round of the NCAA Division II tournament last March. The Hawks boast eight conference championships and 18 NCAA tournament berths in the 33-year tenure of head coach Keith Dickson. 

Today's game closed a three-game homestand for the Wildcats. Head coach Mike MacDonald and the Wildcats now set their sights on the program's first-ever trip to The Lone Star State. Daemen will face Dallas Baptist University in a neutral site game on Friday, Jan. 4, and they'll close the trip by taking on nationally-ranked St. Edward's University on Sunday, Jan. 6.

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