BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - The Daemen College men's basketball team saw its four game winning streak come to an end following an 83-74 loss at the University of Bridgeport this evening.

Daemen dropped to 18-6 overall and 7-3 in the East Coast Conference. Bridgeport, which entered the game ranked 11th nationally by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and atop the ECC standings, ran its winning streak to 14-straight games and improved to 18-2 overall and 10-0 in the league. It marked Daemen's first loss since suffering a 67-64 loss to Bridgeport at Lumsden Gymnasium on Jan. 12.

Turnovers would end up being a key statistic in tonight's game. The Wildcats shot 48-percent from the field and made 13 three-pointers, but they also committed a season-high 26 turnovers which UB converted into 27 points.  
 

TOP PERFORMERS

• Redshirt senior Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.) went 5-of-6 from three-point land in the first half and finished 7-of-10 from behind the arc with a game-high 24 points. It marks the second-straight game he has made seven three-pointers in a game, as he went 7-of-11 from downtown in a 93-73 win at Roberts Wesleyan College last weekend. It also equals his career-high for three-pointers in a game, which he has now done four times (three times thus season). He also tied for the team lead in rebounds with seven.
• Redshirt junior Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) scored a team-high 13 points in the second half and finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. He went 6-of-10 from the field and was a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.
• Senior Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) added seven points, six rebounds and four assists, while redshirt sophomore Tajmin Holt (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) turned in a solid effort off the bench and totaled six points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal in 17 minutes.
• Senior forward Bakary Camara led the hosts with 16 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and seven steals. Junior forward/center Hashem Abbas added 20 points and seven rebounds, while senior guard D'Vonne Trumbo chipped in 16 points, three assists and three steals.
   

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Daemen scored the first eight points of the game, but the Purple Knights responded with seven straight of their own and the hosts later tied the game at 14-14 following a dunk by junior forward/center Nemanja Zubac with 14:36 left in the first half. The Wildcats took a 19-16 lead following a bucket by Holt with 12:48 left before intermission, but Daemen would go scoreless for the next three minutes which allowed the Purple Knights to build a 24-19 lead. Daemen eventually pulled even at 30-30, only to have Bridgeport rattle off another eight unanswered points to take a 38-30 lead. The Wildcats countered with a big three-pointer by redshirt senior Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y.) and a layup by Redband, and the visitors later took a 43-40 lead after Redband drilled his fifth three-pointer of the first half with 52 seconds left in the half. The Wildcats would take a 43-42 lead into intermission. 
• Daemen took a 47-44 lead following a fast break dunk by Sischo two minutes into the second half, but UB scored the next 10 points and the hosts never trailed after that. The hosts held a 66-58 lead with just over seven minutes left when Redband drilled back-to-back three-pointers to make it a two-point game, 66-64. Daemen had two chances to tie or take the lead after that, but they could not convert and the UB lead eventually was back to seven points, 71-64, following a layup by Habbas with 3:43 left. It was a five-point game (73-68) with just over a minute left when Trumbo drilled a clutch three-pointer to make it an eight point deficit for the Wildcats. Daemen came no closer than five points the rest of the way.
• Daemen made 25-of-52 field goals (48%) and went 13-of-27 from three-point land. The Wildcats also went a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line. UB went 32-of-68 (47%) from the field overall and made 7-of-24 from behind the arc. The hosts went 12-of-16 from the charity stripe.
• Bridgeport finished with an advantage in points off turnovers (27-19), second chance points (12-5) and points in the paint (42-22).
   

GAME NOTES

• Daemen is ranked fourth in the latest Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region media poll.
• Bridgeport has now prevailed in the last three meetings between the two rivals, and the Purple Knights now own an 8-7 lead in the all-time series. 
• The loss was Daemen's first this season in a game that they held a halftime lead. Daemen had been 13-0 this season when leading at halftime prior to tonight. The Wildcats' last loss in a game they led at halftime came on the same court against Bridgeport in last season's ECC Championship semifinals. 
• Daemen entered the game leading the ECC in three-pointers made per game (9.4). They've now made at least 10 three-pointers in four-straight and 12 total games this season. 
• Redband, who leads the ECC with 81 three-pointers this season, has made at least one triple in 54 of the last 58 games, and today's output marked the 21st game of his career with at least five trifectas. His 81 three-pointers this season is a career high, and he becomes just the fifth player in program history to make 80 or more three-pointers in a season. The program's leader in career three-pointers made, he now stands just three triples shy of 300 for his career.
• Redband also moved into 10th place in career points among Daemen's all-time leaders with 1,343 points.
• Sischo became the sixth player in program history to score 1,600 career points. He has totaled 1,608 points and 810 rebounds in 81 career games. He ranks sixth in career points and fifth in career rebounds among Daemen's all-time leaders.
• Sarkis scored eight points tonight and now stands 13 points shy of 1,000 for his career. He has also registered 309 career assists and is bidding to become just the fifth player in team history with 1,000 points and 300 assists. 
  

NEXT JUMP BALL
The Wildcats return to action Sunday (Feb. 9) when they play an ECC game at Queens College.