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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
kyle harris mbb @ syracuse
Kyle Harris provided a spark off the bench with 11 points tonight
68
Winner Daemen DAEM 1-1
64
Missouri Western MW 0-2
Winner
Daemen DAEM
1-1
68
Final
64
Missouri Western MW
0-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Daemen DAEM 32 36 68
Missouri Western MW 34 30 64

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

#22 Daemen Survives In Hall Of Fame Classic Capper

Wildcats Erase Second-Half Deficit With Game-Closing 15-6 Run

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Daemen College men's basketball team trailed for more than 33 minutes before rallying for a 68-64 win over Missouri Western State University in the final game of the Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame Classic this evening at the St. Joseph Civic Arena. Daemen, the No. 22 ranked team in the country, displayed its veteran presence down the stretch as the Wildcats outscored a young MWSU team 15-6 over the final 5:29 to escape with the win. 

Daemen, which was coming off an 85-65 loss to No. 1 Northwest Missouri State University last evening, moves to an even 1-1 on the season. It'll go down as a neutral site victory despite Missouri Western playing less than 10 miles from their campus. The Griffons suffered their second straight loss to a nationally-ranked opponent, falling to 0-2 on the season (MWSU lost to No. 9 Southern Nazarene University 96-74 last night). 

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Daemen started slowly for the second straight night, and were held without a point over the first four minutes of the contest. Back-to-back three-pointers by Kyle Harris (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.) got the Wildcats going and gave them an early 6-2 advantage. The Griffons responded with a 14-2 run to take control, and Daemen never led again until the final minutes of the contest.
  • Another Redband three-pointer - his fourth of the opening half - evened the score at 21-21, but the Griffons would scored 13 of the next 16 points to open up their largest lead of the half at 34-24.
  • Daemen closed the period on an 8-0 run in the final 1:21, accomplished singlehandedly by freshman guard Keith Slack (Rochester, N.Y.).  He drilled back-to-back three-pointers, including one that banked in just before the buzzer to bring Daemen back within 34-32 at the break.
  • Missouri Western built their lead back to nine points over the first four-plus minutes of the second half. A three-pointer by Tyus Millhollin at the 15:54 mark put the Griffons ahead 46-37. 
  • Daemen battled back though, and after cutting the deficit to a single point on two ocassions, the Wildcats pulled even (53-53) on a three-pointer by Donte' Williams (Buffalo, N.Y.) with 8:39 to go. 
  • A quick 5-0 spurt briefly gave the Griffons some breathing room, but that's when the Wildcats clawed away. Joey Wallace (Rochester, N.Y.) scored four straight points to ignite the Wildcats' decisive run. Daemen took its first lead of the second half when Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y.) converted a pair of free throws with 2:40 remaining to make it 61-60. An inside field goal by MWSU's Jaron Thames followed, but Daemen would take the lead for good on a drive and score by Harris at the 1:41 mark.
  • Daemen outscored MWSU 11-4 in the final 3:49. A pair of free throws by Redband with 13 seconds remaining gave Daemen a two-possession lead (67-63), and he salted it away by going 1-of-2 at the line with four ticks left.
  • Redband led four double-figure scorers for the Wildcats, finishing with 15 points to go with four assists and three steals. 
  • Daemen big man Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) was frustrated by some tough defense by the Griffons throughout, but still managed his second double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds) in as many nights. He was named to the all-tournament team. 
  • Slack made the first start of his career and produced 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-7 from downtown. Harris chipped in with 11 points off the bench.
  • Tyrell Carroll scored a game-high 22 points for the Griffons, 17 of which came in the first half. 
  • Daemen finished 23-of-50 from the floor (46%), rebounding from a relatively cold first half (40.7%) to shoot 52.2% in the second. The Wildcats limited MWSU to just 33.3% shooting in the second half as well. The Griffons finished 22-of-55 (40%) for the game. 

UP NEXT
Daemen returns home to host the ECC-CACC Challenge presented by Western New York Knee and Orthopedic Surgery PC on Nov. 8-9 at Lumsden Gymnasium. The Wildcats take on Felician University in their tournament opener, followed by a meeting with Nyack College. 
 
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