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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
sischo mbb vs nyack
72
NYIT NYITM 2-22, 2-13 ECC
87
Winner Daemen DAEM 21-3, 13-1 ECC
NYIT NYITM
2-22, 2-13 ECC
72
Final
87
Daemen DAEM
21-3, 13-1 ECC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
NYIT NYITM 33 39 72
Daemen DAEM 34 53 87

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

Wildcats Extend Winning Streak To 10

First 10-Game Winning Streak Since 2013-14 Season

AMHERST, N.Y. - After taking a slim one-point lead into halftime, the Daemen College men's basketball team exploded for a 53-point second half, paving the way for an 87-72 victory over New York Institute of Technology in East Coast Conference action here this afternoon. The Wildcats extended their winning streak to 10 straight games, their longest since a 14-game streak during the 2013-14 season. Daemen, which is ranked in the top-15 in both Division II national polls, moved to 21-3 overall and 13-1 in league play. On the flip side, NYIT dropped to 2-22 overall and 2-13 in the league. 

Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) notched 27 points and 12 rebounds - his 14th double-double of the season - to lead the way. The redshirt sophomore center shot 11-of-16 from the field, and surpassed 950 career points in the win. 

Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.), Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y.), Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) and Darius Garvin (Elmira, N.Y.) all reached double figures as well. Redband, who drilled seven three-pointers in Friday's rout of Long Island University Post, added three more trifectas to his total today, and finished with 13 points, five rebounds, two steals and one block. Sarkis came alive in the second half, scoring all 12 of his points after halftime. His total included a pair of three-pointers, and he's now reached double figures in five of the last six games. Garvin's 10 points came in a reserve role, and he added five rebounds, a game-high five assists and two steals. Quinn Lee Yaw (Jamestown, N.Y.) chipped in with eight points for the Wildcats.

Collins Onyeike (14 points) and Marcus Saint-Furcy (14 points) split 28 points to lead the Bears. Kieran Hamilton added 12 points and three steals.

The teams were never separated by more than six points during a first half that saw the underdog Bears limit Daemen to 12-of-29 shooting (41.4%) while also forcing 10 turnovers. Despite trailing for much of the period, NYIT took a 33-32 lead on a three-pointer by Zahir Porter/ Daemen responded with an inside bucket by Sischo on their final first-half possession to take a 34-33 lead at the end of 20 minutes.

In the second, Daemen got a fastbreak layup by Lee Yaw to go ahead 52-45, but Hamilton responded eight seconds later for the guests as he drilled a three-pointer. The Hamilton three, which brought them back within 52-48 was followed by a timeout.

That's when Daemen flipped the switch as the Wildcats emerged from the break with a 31-8 run that spanned nearly six minutes.  Sarkis accounted for seven straight points near the run's outset, and his three-pointer at the 9:57 mark pushed Daemen's lead to 61-49. Sischo converted three layups, and Garvin's three-pointer with 6:51 to play put Daemen ahead 73-51. The Daemen lead reached 27 points (83-56) on a Harris three-pointer with 5:13 left. Daemen maintained at least a 20-point advantage until the final minute.

Daemen shot 19-of-30 in the second half (63.3%), and made six of their seven three-pointers in the period. The Wildcats closed with a 39-27 rebounding advantage, and a 40-28 edge in paint scoring.

With the win, Daemen maintained its grip on first place in the ECC standings. The Wildcats have already clinched a berth in the upcoming ECC Championship Tournament, and today's win moved them closer to locking up a first-round bye. The ECC Championship features the top six teams in the final league standings, with first round games slated for campus sites on Wednesday, March 6. The semifinals (Saturday, March 9) and finals (Sunday, March 10) will be played at Hubbell Gymnasium on the campus of the University of Bridgeport.

Going back to last season, Daemen has won 38 of their last 43 games. Today's win moved them to 18-1 this season against all NCAA Division II East Region opponents. It also upped Daemen's home record to 13-1 and extended their home winning streak to six straight games. Since joining the ECC in 2013-14, Daemen is 46-9 in conference home games.

The Wildcats will return to action next Friday, Feb. 22 when they visit St. Thomas Aquinas College for a showdown between two of the most successful ECC programs of late. Since the 2014-15 season, only STAC has more wins (121) than Daemen's 102 among all ECC and New York State Division II teams. Daemen defeated STAC 82-79 in overtime when the teams met on Jan. 25 at Lumsden Gymnasium. 

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