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top 10 moments mbb keybank center

Top 10 Moments of 2019-20: Men's Basketball Makes KeyBank Center Home For A Day

8/7/2020 12:00:00 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 makes KeyBank Center home for a day Senior guard Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) provided the heroics, hitting a clutch three-pointer and swiping a subsequent steal to highlight a thrilling 83-81 win for the Daemen men's basketball team over Wilmington (Del.) on November 23, 2019. It was a fitting end to Daemen's first-ever contest at KeyBank Center, the downtown Buffalo arena that's hosted first and second round games of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament six times since its opening in 1996, as well as being the home of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres.

Daemen's KeyBank Center debut came as part of a downtown doubleheader with Big 4 rivals Canisius and St. Bonaventure taking the floor after the showcase of Division II teams. For Daemen, the event itself was bigger than the actual outcome of the game. Progressing through its fifth year as a full-fledged member of NCAA Division II, Daemen's inclusion on such a prominent Western New York stage was a sign of arrival. It seemingly justified all that had been done to increase the visibility of Daemen Athletics as a whole over the better part of the last decade. "It's a great building. I think it's a great place. I still believe, and I will go to my grave believing that basketball is an important part of this city's fabric for a lot of people," said head coach Mike MacDonald in his post-game press conference. "For us to be a part of this is something very special for Daemen. And for us to get the Daemen name out here and get Daemen downtown was great." 

It was a homecoming of sorts for MacDonald who coached 28 games in the arena as the head man at Canisius from 1997-2006. The win was his 18th in the building - more than any other basketball coach in the venue's history - and his first since March 4, 2005 when he led the Griffs past Marist in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament. 
Daemen took an early nine-point lead, but let their foot off the throttle and trailed 40-37 at the half. Wilmington led 74-68 with under five minutes to play, but Daemen made more plays down the stretch. Harris nailed a three-pointer with 1:44 to go, capping an 11-2 spurt which put Daemen ahead 79-76. Wilmington came back with five straight points from guard Jermaine Head, his drive and score putting WU ahead 81-79 with 40 seconds left. Harris got the ball up the floor quickly and answered for Daemen just eight seconds later. His pull-up three-pointer from about 30 feet out gave Daemen an 82-81 lead.

Following a timeout, Wilmington came up empty as Harris dove on a loose ball that was created when Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) knocked it away from a Wilmington player who was attempting a drive to the basket. Just four seconds showed on the game clock and the Wildcats were moments away from a victory lap. It was the seventh of what would go down as an 11-game winning streak for Daemen, a period that vaulted them to a No. 8 ranking in both the National Association of Basketball Coaches and Division II Sports Information Directors of America top-25 national polls.  The game also concluded what could be considered a rock-and-roll type tour for a Division II basketball team. Beginning in late October, Daemen played against several high profile opponents inside large venues. There was an exhibition game against Division I Buffalo at Alumni Arena, the measuring stick for successful basketball programs in Western New York of late. That was followed two days later with an exhibition contest against Syracuse and its legendary head coach Jim Boeheim inside the iconic Carrier Dome. The regular season got underway with Daemen participating in the prestigious Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame Classic at the St. Joseph (Mo.) Civic Arena, including a contest against No. 1 ranked and defending Division II national champion Northwest Missouri State. 

"We always try to sell the experience when we recruit guys, that you're going to get the chance to have a great experience and be in places," MacDonald said. "We've had a chance to play the number one team in the country. We've played the number four team in the country. We've really challenged them early and I think it's good." 

MacDonald would go on to lead the Wildcats to a second straight 24-win campaign and an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The season came to a close prematurely when the NCAA tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 
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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