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top 10 moments mbb vs west lib

Top 10 Moments of 2019-20: Men's Basketball Trounces Nationally-Ranked West Liberty

7/17/2020 1:30:00 PM

AMHERST, N.Y. - On Wednesdays and Fridays this summer, daemenwildcats.com will feature stories that look back upon the top 10 moments of the 2019-20 season. Record-setting performances, important wins and history-making achievements will be documented in the series.

THE MOMENT:
Men's Basketball trounces nationally-ranked West Liberty
Fans of the West Liberty men's basketball team filed into Lumsden Gymnasium early and often on Saturday, Nov. 16 to watch their beloved Hilltoppers put on yet another display of high octane hoops. They had good reason to follow the team on the four-hour trek up to Western New York. The Hilltoppers have been fixtures among the elite of NCAA Division II basketball for quite some time, bringing 10 consecutive NCAA tournament berths and 145 consecutive appearances in the national rankings into their matinee contest against Daemen. After leading Division II in scoring (100.9 points per game) during the 2018-19 season, the Hilltoppers averaged 130.5 points in lopsided wins over Mansfield and Shaw to open the 2019-20 campaign, and walked onto Daemen's campus ranked in the top five of both Division II national polls (No. 4 NABC / No. 3 D2SIDA). 

But the trip didn't go as planned for the Hilltopper faithful as Daemen opened up a 28-14 lead less than nine minutes into the game. The Wildcats, who were also ranked in the top-25 nationally (No. 22 NABC / No. 18 D2SIDA) at the time, attacked West Liberty's full court press with relative ease, leading to a plethora of fastbreak opportunities. After taking a 57-45 lead into halftime, Daemen saw their edge trimmed to 68-61 with 13:09 to play. Buoyed by big man Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) and slashing wing player Joey Wallace (Rochester, N.Y.), the Wildcats launched on a decisive 17-6 run that put to bed any thoughts of a Hilltopper comeback. When the final buzzer sounded, it was the underdog Wildcats who led for more than 39 minutes en route to a 98-83 victory. 
Sischo, who would go on to cement his place as one of the premier players in all of Division II, was dominant throughout. The 6-foot-9 redshirt junior center shot 12-for-13 from the field and totaled 29 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks - a performance that would lead days later to his selection as the Division II National Player of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. 

Wallace stuffed the stat sheet too, finishing with 19 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals. Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.), Kyle Harris (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.) all reached double figures as well, helping the Wildcats absorb the loss of starting point guard Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y.) who missed the game with an injury. 

The result gave Daemen wins over both teams that advanced to the Atlantic Regional finals in March of 2019. The Wildcats had knocked off defending Atlantic Region champion Mercyhurst in a tightly contested affair (67-65) less than 48 hours before the Hilltoppers and their fans swarmed into Lumsden Gymnasium. It also marked Daemen's second win against a top-five ranked team in as many seasons. They had previously defeated No. 4 (both polls) St. Anselm at Lumsden Gymnasium on Jan. 2, 2019.

The win over West Liberty was the fifth of what would end up being an 11-game winning streak for the Wildcats, a success rate the propelled them into the top 10 of both national polls. The Wildcats would go on to win 24 total games during the 2019-20 season, and earn the program's second straight NCAA tournament berth before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of all remaining NCAA championships.
ADDITIONAL TOP 10 MOMENTS FROM THE 2019-20 SEASON:

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. 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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