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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
garvin mbb vs buffalo
87
Winner Daemen DAEM 22-4, 14-2
81
Dist. Columbia UDC-M 14-12, 7-9
Winner
Daemen DAEM
22-4, 14-2
87
Final
81
Dist. Columbia UDC-M
14-12, 7-9
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Daemen DAEM 45 42 87
Dist. Columbia UDC-M 33 48 81

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

Wildcats Fend Off Second Half Rally For 22nd Win Of Season

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Daemen College men's basketball team saw its 18-point lead whittled down to just three, but still managed to fend off upset-minded University of the District of Columbia, winning 87-81 in an East Coast Conference affair at the UDC Sports Complex today. Less than 48 hours removed from suffering just their second ECC loss of the season, the Wildcats bounced back thanks in part to a 26-of-29 showing (89.7%) at the free throw line.

With the win, Daemen improved to 22-4 overall and 14-2 in ECC play. The team's 22 wins matches their total from last season, and ties the most they've had in any season during head coach Mike MacDonald's five-year tenure. UDC, which entered the game alone in sixth place in the ECC standings, dropped to 14-12 overall and 7-9 in the league, falling into a tie with idle Queens College. 

The win also moved Daemen closer to securing a top-two seed and corresponding first-round bye in the upcoming ECC Championship tournament. The Wildcats can lock that up with one win in their final two regular season games next weekend. 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.

Five players reached double figures for the Wildcats, led by redshirt sophomore center Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) who posted 17 points and 10 rebounds. It marked Sischo's 16th double-double of the season, the most for a Daemen player since Gerald Beverly recorded 19 during the 2014-15 season. Sischo shot 5-of-10 from the field and 7-of-8 at the charity stripe today. His rebounding effort todays brings his season total to 250. He becomes just the fourth player in team history with multiple seasons of 250+ rebounds, and the first to do so in back-to-back seasons since Beverly in 2013-14 and 2014-15.

Forwards Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.) and Quinn Lee Yaw (Jamestown, N.Y.) tossed in 16 points apiece. Redband knocked down 5-of-8 field goal attempts, including a trio of three-pointers as part of his total, and he added five rebounds. Lee Yaw's production came in a reserve role, and it included 12 first-half points. He also added six rebounds and a career-high six assists.

Deion Hamilton (Rochester, N.Y.) and Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively, while Darius Garvin (Elmira, N.Y.) narrowly missed double figures with nine. Hamilton (994), Sischo (983) and Redband (981) are all within 20 points of 1,000 for their careers.

Kerry Kirkwood canned a game-high seven three-pointers to account for all of his game-high 21 points for the Firebirds. Starters Kevin Cox (15 points) and Zachary Olukanni (10 points) also reached double figures, as did reserves Danny Shand (13 points) and Juanye Colon (10 points). Shand added five assists and two steals.

Both teams got off to a slow start, combining for just six points in the opening five minutes. With Daemen leading 22-20 later in the period, the Wildcats launched a 23-13 spurt to open up a 45-33 halftime lead. A rare four-point play by Redband sparked the run which included points from five different Daemen players. Lee Yaw came alive in the run, scoring 10 of Daemen's final 12 first-half points. He also assisted on a two-handed dunk by Garvin with less than a minute remaining.

Harris and Hamilton knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to start the second half, pushing Daemen's lead to 51-33. The Wildcats maintained a double-figure cushion until UDC rattled off nine straight points, turning a 71-57 deficit into a more manageable five-point spread (71-66) with less than six minutes to play. 

Daemen would push their advantage back to as many as seven points, but Cox's three-pointer at the 3:42 mark cut it to a one-possession game at 78-75. Daemen responded with a three-pointer of their own as Redband connected on his third trifecta of the day. UDC never got back within a single possession, despite three chances to do so. Daemen shot 6-of-8 from the free throw line down the stretch, including a pair of 2-for-2 trips by Garvin and Harris inside of 25 seconds remaining to seal the deal.

After being held to season-lows in points and all shooting statistics in Friday's 75-60 loss to Saint Thomas Aquinas College, Daemen rebounded with nearly 45 percent shooting today (26-of-58), including 9-of-21 from three-point range (42.9%). UDC made more field goals (31-of-71) and more three-pointers (12-of-35), but hurt themselves with less than 55 percent free throw shooting (7-of-13). The Wildcats also held a commanding 45-32 advantage in rebounding. 

Daemen, which is ranked in the top-15 of both Division II national polls, has now won 11 of their last 12 games, and 15 of their last 16 ECC road games. 

The Wildcats return to Lumsden Gymnasium to close out the regular season next weekend with Mercy College (Friday, Mar. 1) and the University of Bridgeport (Sunday, Mar. 3) set to visit. Daemen defeated Mercy (75-74) and Bridgeport (87-85) in a pair of nail-biting road wins last month. 

For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.





 
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