CANYON, Texas — The Daemen College men's basketball team battled No. 3 West Texas A&M University to the final buzzer tonight, but the host Buffs escaped with a 69-66 victory in the final game of the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) Tip-Off Classic. The three day tournament took part at the First United Center on the campus of West Texas A&M.

The game was a rematch of last year's NCAA Division II Tournament Elite Eight matchup, which was won by West Texas A&M, 97-83. The host Buffs, who entered the tournament ranked No. 3 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) top 25 poll, improved to 3-0 on the year. Daemen is receiving votes in the NABA top 25.

Daemen, which dropped to 1-2, had a chance to send the game to overtime, but a last second three-point attempt by graduate student Sean Fasoyiro (Houston, Texas) was off the mark.

IMPACT PLAYERS

• Daemen's Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.), who failed to score in double figures for the first time in 67-straight games last night during a loss to nationally-ranked Colorado Mesa University, was back in form tonight. The two-time consensus All-American totaled 18 points and 15 rebounds tonight and has now recorded a double-double in 19 of his last 22 games dating back to the 2019-20 season. Sischo, who has led NCAA Division II in double-doubles each of the last two seasons, has now totaled 62 career double-doubles in 107 career games.
• Fasoyiro added 15 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Both Sischo and Fasoyiro were named to the all-tournament team.
• Sophomore guard Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) connected 4-of-6 three-point attempts and finished with 14 points, while redshirt junior Ryan Bradley (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) added eight points and five boards in just 11 minutes off the bench.
• Four players scored in double figures for the Buffs. Sophomore guard Larry Wise scored a team-high 15 points, while junior guard Julius Brown canned 3-of-6 from downtown and added 14 points and seven rebounds.

WILDCATS QUICKLY ERASE HALFTIME DEFICIT

West Texas held a 38-29 lead at the half, but the Wildcats outscored the Buffs 16-5 over the first 5:41 of the second half to erase the lead. Daemen opened the second half with a triple by Mason and later took a 45-43 lead after Mason and graduate student Kyle Harris (Buffalo, N.Y.) drilled back-to-back three-pointers. The remaining 14:19 of the game was back-and-forth, as neither team led by more than five points. Mason, who hit all four of his three-pointers in the second half, gave Daemen a 50-46 lead with a triple at the 12:52 mark, but the Wildcats went scoreless over the next three minutes and West Texas A&M took advantage with a 9-0 run that gave the hosts a 55-50 lead.

A jumper by Sischo with 6:32 left cut the West Texas A&M lead to two points, 59-57, but Wise was fouled attempting a three-pointer on the Buffs next possession and he canned all three free throws to put the lead back up to five points, 62-57. The Wildcats later pulled to within a point, 64-63, after Fasoyiro made two free throws with 3:49 left, and neither team scored again until Brown made one-of-two free throws with 2:17 to play.

Daemen came up empty on its next possession and Wise canned a jumper with 1:37 to play to give the hosts a 67-63 lead. Both teams failed to convert on their next possession, before Mason hit his fourth triple of the half with 22 second left to make it 67-66. West Texas got two free throws from Zach Toussaint with 19 seconds left, and Fasoyiro's last second attempt to tie the game was off the mark.

NEXT JUMP BALL

The Wildcats will play exhibition games against the University of Buffalo (Nov. 4) and Medaille College (Nov. 8), before they return to regular-season play the weekend of Nov. 12-13 when they host the East Region Challenge presented by WNY Knee and Orthopedic Surgery PC.

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 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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