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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
macdonald mbb vs buffalo
73
Daemen Daemen 0-0,0-0 ECC
111
Winner Buffalo UB 0-0,0-0 MAC
Daemen Daemen
0-0,0-0 ECC
73
Final
111
Buffalo UB
0-0,0-0 MAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Daemen Daemen 39 34 73
Buffalo UB 52 59 111

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

Wildcats Fall In Exhibition Opener To D-1 Bulls

BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Daemen College men's basketball team tipped off the 2019-20 season with a 111-73 loss to the University at Buffalo before 2,562 spectators at Alumni Arena this evening. The game was the first of three exhibition contests for the Wildcats as they prepare for their regular-season opener on November 1. It also marked the fifth straight season that the Wildcats have met the Division I Bulls, winners of four of the last five Mid-American Conference championships.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • UB made just one of their first 11 three-point attempts, but caught fire late in the first half. On the strength of six consecutive makes from behind the arc, the Bulls turned a 26-20 lead into a 44-26 advantage, their largest of the opening period.
  • Despite relatively even numbers in points in the paint (24-24), second-chance points (17-15 UB) and field goal shooting (42.9% UB; 41.0% DC), the host Bulls took a 52-39 lead into halftime.
  • UB stayed hot to open the second half, opening up a 20-point bulge at 64-44 on a three-pointer by Antwain Johson less than four minutes into the period. Daemen never got closer than 17 points for the remainder of the game.
  • A Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y.) three-pointer pulled Daemen within 90-67, but UB closed the contest on a 21-6 spurt cover the final 6:03 to provide the final margin. The Bulls shot 62.9 percent from the field, and limited Daemen to just 37 percent shooting in the second half. 
  • Six players reached double figures for the Bulls, led by the 19 points of Gabe Grant which came in a reserve role. Grant canned four three-pointers in the game and keyed their late first-half run. He added a team-high six rebounds, helping UB outrebound the Wildcats 46-41.
  • Jeenathan Williams (16 points), Jayvon Graves (14 points), Johnson (12 points), Ronaldo Segu (12 points) and Davonta Jordan (10 points) also reached double figures for the Bulls. Segu added a game-high 14 assists, one more than Daemen had as a team.
  • Daemen big man Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.), the reigning East Coast Conference and Division II East Region Player of the Year, picked up where he left off with game-highs of 28 points and 12 rebounds. Sischo tallied 17 double-doubles last season, tops in the ECC and sixth nationally among Division II players.
  • Joey Wallace (Rochester, N.Y.), a redshirt senior transfer from Southern Connecticut State University, was impressive in his Daemen debut, scoring 12 points and grabbing five boards.
  • UB shot 40-for-77 in the contest (51.9%) and knocked down nine three-pointers. The Bulls also converted 22-of-28 from the charity stripe (78.6%) after shooting less than 70 percent as a team last season.
  • Daemen finished 26-of-66 from the field, 5-of-18 from downtown and 16-of-23 at the line

GAME NOTES
  • Both teams are coming off remarkable 2018-19 campaigns. The Bulls went 32-4 and spent much of the season ranked among the top 25 teams in America. Daemen posted a 24-6 overall record, won the program's second East Coast Conference regular-season title, and made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II tournament. 
  • UB has emerged victorious in all five exhibition meetings between the two teams. The closest contest was played in 2016 when UB needed overtime to pull out an 87-82 win.
  • Daemen was seeking its second upset of a Division I program under the guidance of head coach Mike MacDonald. MacDonald made his Daemen coaching debut with an 83-81 overtime win at Canisius College on Nov. 11, 2014. 
  • Following exhibition contests vs. Syracuse University (Oct. 26) and Mohawk College (Oct. 29), the Wildcats open the 2019-20 regular season by facing defending Division II national champion Northwest Missouri State University at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in St. Joseph, Mo. 

UP NEXT
  • Daemen plays its second high-profile exhibition contest Saturday (Oct. 26) as they visit The Dome to take on the Syracuse Orange and legendary head coach Jim Boeheim. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. 
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