Box Score

Andrew Sischo led all scorers with 28 points in his return to action after missing Friday's game vs. Queens with an injury

Bridgeport UBM 12-2, 4-0 ECC

Daemen DAEM 14-5, 3-2 ECC

Bridgeport UBM

12-2, 4-0 ECC

Final

Jan. 12, 2020

Daemen DAEM

14-5, 3-2 ECC

Score By Periods
Team	1	2	F
Bridgeport UBM	33	34	67
Daemen DAEM	28	36	64

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | 1/12/2020 5:21:00 PM | By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

Bridgeport Buzzsaw Cuts Down Wildcats 67-64

Sischo Returns But Wildcats' Home Winning Streak Halted At 17

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at University of the District of Columbia

1/19/2020 | 3:00 PM

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AMHERST, N.Y. - In a key early-season meeting between two of the top men's basketball teams in the East Coast Conference, it was the Bridgeport Purple Knights standing when the dust settled, handing the Daemen Wildcats their first home loss in 366 days by a 67-64 final score. Trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half, Daemen rallied back within a single possession late in the game, but Joey Wallace's (Rochester, N.Y.) game-tying three-point attempt was off the mark just before the buzzer sounded.

It marked Bridgeport's eighth-straight win, tied with Adelphi for the longest active streak in the NCAA Division II East Region. The Purple Knights improved to 12-2 overall while also remaining unbeaten (4-0) in conference play.

On the other side, the return of star center Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) was not enough to buoy the Wildcats today as they saw their 17-game winning streak come to an end, dropping to 14-5 on the season and 3-2 in ECC games. Sischo, who missed Friday's 65-57 win over Queens with an injury, came off the bench to score a game-high 28 points.

TOP PERFORMERS

First-team All-ECC player Bakary Camara was the catalyst at both ends of the floor for Bridgeport as he recorded his second double-double of the season. Camara finished with team-highs of 18 points and 10 boards, and also added three steals, two blocks and two assists.
D'Vonne Trumbo contributed 15 points, four rebounds and two steals. The Purple Knights also got 10 points, six rebounds and four assists from Trumbo's backcourt mate, junior Travis Robinson-Morgan.
Sischo collected his Division II-leading 13th double-double of the season, adding 11 boards to his game-high point total. He shot 12-for-16 from the field - his 10th game this season with at least 10 field goals.
Wallace keyed Daemen's second-half comeback attempt, scoring 12 of his 16 points after halftime. He added nine rebounds and a game-high five assists.
Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.) made a trio of three-pointers as part of a 13-point outing, and matched his season-high with eight rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Daemen scored the game's first two points, but Bridgeport responded with a 12-3 run and never relinquished the lead from there.
Sischo entered the game at the 13:38 mark - his first appearance off the bench this season - and promptly scored six points over a four-minute span to bring Daemen within 19-14.
Bridgeport later took a 29-20 lead on a Trumbo jumper, but Daemen roared back with eight-straight points, including a three-pointer from Sischo that cut the deficit to just a point (29-28). The Purple Knights were able to keep Daemen at bay, getting field goals from Juan Coffi and Robinson-Morgan in the final minute of the half to take a 33-28 lead into intermission.
Sischo, Redband and Wallace were the only Daemen player to score in the opening stanza. Sischo and Redband combined for 24 of Daemen's 28 points, and were the only Wildcats to make shots from the field in the period.
Daemen pulled within a single possession's difference five times in the first 5:03 of the second half, but were never able to get over the hump. Wallace's fastbreak dunk at the 14:57 mark pulled Daemen within 44-42, but the Wildcats made just one of their next 11 field goal attempts, and committed five turnovers in a span that lasted some six-and-a-half minutes. Bridgeport took advantage with a 15-2 run to open up their largest lead of the game at 59-44 with 8:12 to play. Trumbo scored six-straight points in the run which was capped by a layup from Hashem Abbas.
Daemen battled back, using a 14-2 run of their own to get back within 61-58. Sischo and Wallace accounted for 12 points in the run, including the latter's conversion of a one-and-one free throw opportunity with 3:20 to go.
The Wildcats would get decent looks at a pair of three-point shots on consecutive possessions that would have knotted the score, but Sischo was off on the first and Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) misfired on the second.
Bridgeport re-established a two-possession lead (63-58) with an inside bucket by Camara, and later went ahead by six (65-59) when Trumbo sank a floater in the lane with 1:09 to go.
Daemen responded with a Wallace dump-off to Sischo who scored. After Trumbo missed the front end of a one-and-one, Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y.) found Redband who drilled a corner three-pointer with 11 seconds to go, bringing Daemen within 65-64.
Camara was fouled on the ensuing inbounds pass and he converted a pair at the charity stripe. Wallace rushed the ball down for Daemen and got a decent look at a tying attempt from the top of the key, but it grazed short off the rim.
Both teams finished with under 40% field-goal shooting. Daemen made 24-of-61 shots overall (39.3%) and 4-for-17 from three-point range (23.5%). The Wildcats entered the game as the ECC leader in field goal percentage (48.7%), three-point field goal percentage (37.2%) and made threes per game (9.4). Bridgeport shot 37.5% from the field (27-for-72) and 5-for-24 from three-point range (20.8%).
Bridgeport finished +10 in the turnover margin, forcing Daemen into 18 miscues which resulted in 10 points. The Purple Knights also held a 36-30 lead in points in the paint.

GAME NOTES

The game featured two teams that are ranked in the latest Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region media poll. Daemen is ranked No. 5 while Bridgeport is tied for the No. 8 ranking.
It was also a matchup of two of the most successful ECC teams over the last several seasons. Since Daemen joined the ECC in 2013-14, only St. Thomas Aquinas has achieved more wins (156) than Daemen (140) and Bridgeport (130).
Bridgeport evened the all-time series at 7-7. Today's game was the first meeting between the teams since Bridgeport scored a 79-77 win in last season's ECC Championship semifinals. That result came after Daemen had swept the regular season series.
After winning 11 of their first 12 games this season, Daemen is just 4-4 over their last eight.
Daemen is now 9-1 at home this season. Their last home loss before today came Jan. 11, 2019 against Molloy (72-71). The Wildcats are 32-3 in their last 35 home games dating back to January of 2018. Bridgeport owns two of the three opponent wins at Lumsden Gymnasium in that time.
Sischo has now scored 20+ points in 15 games this season. Today's output marked his 38th career double-double, the most for a Daemen player since Gerald Beverly recorded 46 from 2011-15. Sischo leads the ECC in scoring (25.6 ppg), field goal percentage (64.9) and made field goals (181), and ranks second in rebounding (12.3 rpg).
Sischo's point total today included the 1,500th of his career, becoming just the eighth player in program history to reach that total. He passed Casey Sheehan for seventh on Daemen's all-time scoring list, and has now totaled 1,508 points and 766 rebounds in 76 career games.
Redband continues his climb up Daemen's three-point shooting list. He stands with 270 three-point field goals in his career, nine shy of David Skolen (279) and 18 back of program-record holder Brian Montanaro (288). Redband also stands with 1,239 points in his career, three shy of passing Jim Regan for 13th on Daemen's all-time scoring list.
Sarkis made his 99th career appearance today, and the 93rd start of his career. He stands two assists shy of becoming just the eighth player in team history to reach 300 career assists.
Harris swiped three steals today, pulling into a tie with Alex Nwora for eighth all-time at Daemen with 154 for his career.