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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
WALLACE MBB VS ROBERTS
65
Winner Daemen DAEM 15-5, 4-2 ECC
61
Dist. Columbia UDCM 8-10, 3-3 ECC
Winner
Daemen DAEM
15-5, 4-2 ECC
65
Final
61
Dist. Columbia UDCM
8-10, 3-3 ECC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Daemen DAEM 28 37 65
Dist. Columbia UDCM 29 32 61

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

Men's Basketball Rallies Past Firebirds For 15th Win Of Season

Wildcats Erase 11-Point Second-Half Deficit For Seventh-Straight Win In Series

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Redshirt senior wing Joey Wallace (Rochester, N.Y.) scored four points in the final 75 seconds to help the Daemen College men's basketball team complete a serious second-half rally to win 65-61 over the University of the District of Columbia in an East Coast Conference matchup today at the UDC Sports Complex. Daemen trailed by as many as 11 points, but outscored the host Firebirds 23-8 over the final eight minutes of the contest. Wallace netted the tying and go-ahead buckets for the Wildcats, the latter coming with 26 seconds remaining which gave Daemen their first lead since the early minutes of the second half.

With the win, Daemen improved to 15-5 overall and 4-2 in ECC play this season. It was a key result for the Wildcats as they look stay near the top of the ECC standings. They currently sit in a tie with Molloy College (7-9, 4-2 ECC) for third place behind ECC unbeatens St. Thomas Aquinas College (16-2, 6-0 ECC) and the University of Bridgeport (14-2, 6-0 ECC). It also marked Daemen's seventh win this season when trailing in the second half, and their first since an 83-81 defeat of Wilmington University on November 23. 

UDC, which erased a 15-point second-half deficit in their 83-72 win Friday night over Roberts Wesleyan College, saw their modest three-game winning streak go by the wayside. The Firebirds dropped to 8-10 overall and 3-3 in the conference.

TOP PERFORMERS
  • Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) pulled back into a tie for the national lead in double-doubles with his 14th of the season today, recording game-highs of 22 points and 10 rebounds. Sischo, who was limited to just three field goal attempts in the first half, scored 17 points in the second half, and finished 7-of-13 from the field and 8-of-10 from the charity stripe.
  • Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.) canned a trio of three-pointers, all in the first half, and finished with 14 points.
  • Backcourt mates Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y.) and Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y. ) also reached double figures, scoring 11 and 10 points, respectively. Sarkis added a season-high six rebounds. Harris matched his season-high with four steals, the third time this season he's reached that total. 
  • In addition to his eight points, Wallace notched nine boards and a team-high five assists. 
  • Aaren Smith played a game-high 38 minutes and scored 14 points to lead UDC. He added seven boards, two blocks and two steals.
  • Juanye Colon (13 points) also reached double figures, and Consolo Adams posted a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) for the Firebirds.

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • After UDC opened the game with a 7-0 run, Daemen came back and managed to lead for more than 10 minutes, despite shooting just 10-for-32 in the period (31.3%). A Sarkis three-pointer with 1:55 to go put Daemen ahead 28-25, but UDC got a jumper from Colon and a dunk by Smith in the final minute to take a one-point lead (29-38) into halftime.
  • Daemen forged back ahead 34-31 at the 16:56 mark of the second half on a layup by Sischo. The big man scored Daemen's first eight points of the period.
  • UDC responded with a 13-2 spurt to open up a 44-36 lead, the most separation by either team to that point. A three-pointer by Kerry Kirkwood with 12:32 to go capped the run. 
  • Daemen pulled back within two (44-42), thanks in part to a rare five-point possession. Sischo scored and was fouled, and UDC's Isaiah Robinson was subsequently whistled for a technical foul. Redband made good on the technical free throws, and Sischo converted his three-point play. 
  • The Firebirds came back with nine unanswered points, resulting in their largest lead of the game at 53-42 when Colon drilled a triple at the 8:45 mark.
  • Daemen got back into contention with a 12-2 spurt, pulling within 55-54 on a layup by Sischo with 5:36 to go. Sischo and Harris accounted for five points apiece in the Wildcat run. 
  • Daemen would tie the game at 56-56 (on a Harris layup) and 59-59 (on a Sarkis layup), but could not take the lead. 
  • Jahmir Marable Williams broke the last tie, putting UDC ahead 61-59 with 1:34 to go. Daemen came right back with a driving lay-in by Wallace at the 1:14 mark. Following a deep miss by Colon, Wallace was Johnny-on-the-spot at the other end as he collected an offensive board and scored to put Daemen ahead by two.
  • UDC committed a turnover on their potential game-tying or game-winning possession, and Redband went to the line where he hit a pair of free throws to essentially put the game out of reach with less than 10 seconds to play.
  • Both teams made six three-pointers in the game, but UDC was the more efficient team from the field overall (25-of-60 [41.7%] to Daemen's 23-of-61 [37.7%]). Daemen made up for chilly field-goal shooting by canning 13-of-17 free throws (76.55) comared to just 5-of-10 (50%) for the hosts.
  • Daemen also held a big 46-33 advantage off the backboard, and turned 14 offensive rebounds into a 19-6 edge in second chance points. 

GAME NOTES
  • After winning 11 of their first 12 games this season, Daemen is now 5-4 in their last nine.
  • The Wildcats improved to 12-2 in the all-time series with UDC, including a 6-1 mark at the UDC Sports Complex. Daemen has won seven-straight meetings with the Firebirds.
  • Daemen entered the game averaging 80.4 points per game, second-best in the ECC this season. But, Daemen is averaging just 66.8 points in six games this month, posting a 3-3 record in those contests.
  • Daemen, which shot just 39.3% from the field in last Sunday's three-point loss to Bridgeport, has now been held under 40% shooting in back-to-back games for the first time since November of 2016 (losses to Mercyhurst [26.8%] and LIU Post [34.9%]).
  • Today's game resulted in Daemen's first win when shooting less than 40% from the field since a 78-72 defeat of St.. Anselm College on Jan. 2, 2019. The Wildcats had lost their last four games when failing to rech 40% shooting, including losses earlier this month to St. Anselm and Bridgeport.
  • Daemen has now held seven opponents to 65 points or fewer this season. The Wildcats are allowing just 61.7 points over their last three games. 
  • Daemen now has seven come-from-behind wins this season. The 11-point deficit overcome today matches their biggest second-half comeback of the season. They last erased an 11-point halftime deficit against Felician University on November 8. 
  • Sischo continues to dominate on the interior for Daemen. The redshirt junior center has now posted 16 games with at least 20 points this season. In 19 games this season, he's averaging 25.4 points and 12.2 rebounds per game while shooting 64.4% from the field. 
  • Sischo has now totaled 1,530 points in 77 career games. He moved past Daemen Hall of Famer Alex Nwora (1,514 points) for sixth place on the program's all-time scoring list. 
  • Redband continued his pursuit of Brian Montanaro's program record for career three-pointers. Now with 273 in his career, Redband stands just six back of David Skolen (279) for second place, and 15 shy of the Montanaro's mark (288) set from 2002-06. 
  • Redband also passed Jim Regan (1,241 points) for 13th place on Daemen's all-time scoring list. Redband has totaled 1,253 points in 108 career games.
  • Sarkis appeared in his 100th game today, joining Redband as the latest Daemen players to reach the century mark. He was held without an assist today, and he remains two assists shy of becoming the eighth player in team history with 300 in a career.
  • With his four steals today, Harris passed Nwora for sole possession of eighth place in program history. The senior guard has totaled 158 steals in 86 games
  • Wallace has now posted five assists in back-to-back games, and in five total games this season. He shares the team lead with 53 total assists (also Sarkis), and Daemen is now 9-1 this season when he records at least three assists. 
  • The Wildcats are hopeful that today's game won't be their last at the UDC Sports Complex this season. The venue will serve as the site for the ECC Tournament semifinals and finals on March 7-8. UDC last hosted the ECC Tournament in 2016 which was also Daemen's last appearance in the final round. 
  • Daemen is ranked seventh in the latest Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region media poll. 
  • Since gaining full NCAA Division II membership prior to the 2015-16 season, Daemen has posted a 99-38 overall record. 

NEXT JUMP BALL
Daemen returns to Lumsden Gymnasium for a two-game homestand with Molloy College (Friday, Jan. .24) and New York Tech (Sunday, Jan. 26) visiting next weekend. 

 
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