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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
redband mbb vs buffalo
Jeff Redband has scored at least 20 points in three of the last four games
83
Daemen DAEM 11-2
110
Winner St. Edward's SEU 13-1
Daemen DAEM
11-2
83
Final
110
St. Edward's SEU
13-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Daemen DAEM 39 44 83
St. Edward's SEU 55 55 110

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

Wildcats' Winning Streak Halted By Nationally-Ranked Saint Edward's

AUSTIN, Texas - The Daemen College men's basketball team saw its nine-game winning streak come to an end today following a 110-83 loss at the hands of nationally-ranked Saint Edward's University in non-conference action at the Convocation and Recreation Center. The host Hilltoppers, ranked seventh in the Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) national poll and 22nd in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II poll, shot over 50 percent from the field and canned 17 three-pointers en route to their seventh consecutive victory, improving to 13-1 this season. Daemen suffered its first defeat since mid-November, falling to 11-2.

Junior guard Ashton Spears led the way for SEU with a game-high 32 points. The Division I transfer, who started his collegiate career at Jacksonville State University, shot 8-for-13 from the field, 5-for-9 from three-point range and 11-for-13 from the charity stripe. 

Lucas Doria, Ryan Garza and Sean Phillips all reached double figures for SEU which entered the game averaging over 91 points per game, 15th-best in the country this season. Doria was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and totaled 15 points. Garza (17 points) and Phillips (12 points) each knocked down four three-pointers, and their production came in a reserve role. The Hilltoppers enjoyed a 41-27 advantage in points off the bench.

Daemen, which put up good offensive numbers themselves (46 percent field-goal shooting, 39 percent three-point shooting, 82 percent free throw shooting), was led by Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.). The redshirt junior forward matched his career-high with six three-pointers as part of a 20-point outing, his third in the last four games. Redband now leads the East Coast Conference with 42 three-point field goals this season, and he's made at least one three-pointer in 17 consecutive games. For his career, Redband has 179 three-point field goals; he passed Kevin Lange for sixth in team history in Friday's 87-80 win over Dallas Baptist University.

Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) posted his second straight double-double, and his eighth of the season. The 6-foot-9 redshirt sophomore center totaled 17 points and 10 rebounds today, and has now reached double-figure scoring in 31 of his last 33 games. Quinn Lee Yaw (Jamestown, N.Y.) and Deion Hamilton (Rochester, N.Y.) also produced offensively, scoring 13 and 12 points respectively.

Daemen's Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) scored the game's opening bucket, but the Hilltoppers scored 18 of the next 22 points to take an early lead that they would never relinquish. The SEU lead reached 20 points (44-24) following a Garza three-pointer at the 5:25 mark. A 13-3 Daemen run that included a pair of trey-balls by Redband cut the deficit in half (47-37) with under two minutes to play in the half. But, SEU got a three-pointer from Phillips, a layup from Dorian Lopez and buzzer-beating triple by Spears to close the period on a 8-2 run, taking a 55-39 lead at the half. The hosts shot a blistering 11-for-22 from three-point range in the period.

After Spears hit a jumper on the opening possession of the second half, Daemen never got closer than 17 points for the remainder of the contest. The SEU lead reached 30 points when James Taylor drilled the team's 17th three-pointer of the game, making the score 104-74 with 3:15 to play. 

Daemen, which came into the game allowing just 66.3 points per game, surrendered more than 100 for the first time since a 103-102 overtime win in the ECC Championship semifinals vs. Mercy College on Mar. 5, 2016. It was the first time Daemen had allowed more than 100 points in a regulation game since a 106-102 win over Dowling College on Feb. 5, 2016, and it was Daemen's first loss when allowing 100+ points since a 102-63 final vs. Robert Morris College (Ill.) on Nov. 20, 2010.

SEU evened the all-time series at one win apiece. Daemen had won the only previous meeting by a 74-64 final score in a game played at Lumsden Gymnasium on Nov. 19, 2016.

The loss was only Daemen's fourth since Dec. 31, 2017, and their first by more than six points. The Wildcats are 28-4 in that span.

Today's game was marred by an abundance of whistles. The men in stripes signaled 43 fouls in the game which led to a combined 60 free throws between the two teams (SEU: 25-for-31; DC: 24-for-29). Six technical fouls were also doled out, four of which went against the Wildcats.

Today's action marked the final non-conference game of the season for the Wildcats. Daemen, which is ranked fourth in the D2SIDA East Region media poll and receiving votes in the NABC Division II poll, returns to East Coast Conference action next weekend when Molloy College (Friday, Jan. 11) and Queens College (Sunda, Jan. 13) make their way to Lumsden Gymnasium.

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