SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Playing its second high-profile exhibition game in less than 48 hours, the Daemen College men's basketball team hung tough in a 90-71 loss to Syracuse University, one of the most recognizable college basketball programs in the country, led by legendary head coach Jim Boeheim. After trailing 47-28 at the half, Daemen heated up over the final 20 minutes, shooting 52 percent from the field and tying the Orange 43-43 in the period.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Elijah Hughes shot 8-for-10 from the field and 5-for-7 from three-point range to lead the Orange. The redshirt-junior forward is the lone returning starter for the Orange who were ranked as high as No. 15 in the country last season when they posted a 20-14 overall record. 
• Robert Braswell chipped in with 17 points, and Bourama Sidibe grabbed a team-high 10 boards for Syracuse. 
• Senior guard Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) caught fire in the second half, finishing with 23 points to lead the Wildcats. Harris canned five of Daemen's 14 three-pointers in the contest, helping the Wildcats shoot 44 percent from downtown (14-for-32).
• Redshirt-junior center Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) posted his second double-double in as many exhibition games this season, scoring 15 points while snaring a game-high 12 rebounds. The reigning East Coast Conference and NCAA Division II East Region Player of the Year totaled 17 double-doubles last season, sixth-best among all Division II players. 
• Redshirt-seniors Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y.) and Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.) each knocked down a trio of three-pointers, finishing with nine points apiece. Sarkis added six assists. 
• Daemen experienced the full effects of SU's vaunted 2-3 zone defense over the first 20 minutes. The Orange limited Daemen to just 29 percent shooting in the period (9-for-31).
• Syracuse shot 17-of-30 (57%) in the opening frame, and later opened up their largest lead of the contest at the 14:28 mark of the second half when Hughes canned one of his five trifectas. 
• Daemen kept plugging away however, and the Wildcats outscored SU 32-25 from that point forward. 

HEAD COACH  MIKE MACDONALD POST-GAME COMMENTS
"I thought we did some real nice things today, and really played well in stretches, especially in the second half. Obviously playing an ACC team presents its fair share of challenges. Considering we only have about seven days of practice under our belts, I think this is an effort we can build off of. I thought our guys really represented Daemen well tonight."

ICYMI - Jim Boeheim opener his postgame presser with some real complimentary thoughts on @DaemenMBB... link below https://t.co/M7kLQggmat

— Mike Miranto (@coachmiranto) October 27, 2019

GAME NOTES

• The game marked Daemen's first ever in the 34,000-seat Dome on SU's campus (formerly the Carrier Dome), and Syracuse's first exhibition contest of the 2019-20 season, excluding a foreign tour of Italy last August. 
• Daemen was coming off a 111-73 exhibition loss at the University at Buffalo just two nights ago. 
• The game also marked the third meeting ever between Boeheim and Daemen head coach Mike MacDonald at the Dome; MacDonald previously visited twice during his stint as head coach at Canisius College, last doing so on Dec. 30, 2003. 
• Redshirt-senior guard/forward Joey Wallace was in the starting lineup for the Wildcats, finishing with five points and two assists in 19 minutes. Wallace is the son of Syracuse legend John Wallace who helped the Orange to the Final Four in 1996 before going on to be the 18th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. 

UP NEXT

• Daemen makes its home debut on Tuesday, Oct. 29 when they host Canadian opponent Mohawk College in their final exhibition tune-up before next Friday's (Nov. 1) regular-season opener against defending Division II national champion Northwest Missouri State University.