ROCHESTER, N.Y.. - Redshirt senior center Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) was dominant from start to finish as he compiled 42 points and 17 rebounds - the 50th double-double of his career - while leading Daemen to their first win of the season, a 93-86 final over long-time rival Roberts Wesleyan at the Voller Athletic Center tonight. With the win, Daemen improved to 1-2 overall and 1-0 in East Coast Conference play, while the host Redhawks dropped to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the conference.

Daemen never trailed in the contest while running to their 20th win in a row against Roberts Wesleyan, a span that's nearly reached a decade. It was also Daemen's 100th ECC win. The Wildcats are 100-31 in conference games since joining the NCAA Division II-affiliated ECC in 2013. 

IMPACT PLAYERS

• Sischo shot 16-for-25 from the field and 10-for-11 from the free throw line while recording the second 40-point game of his career. His point total this evening was five points shy of his career-high 47, a single-game Daemen record which he set during the opening round of the ECC Championship last March.
• Graduate transfer Sean Fasoyiro (Houston, Texas) continues to make an impact in his first season with the Wildcats as he recorded a double-double, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds. He also contributed three of Daemen's nine steals. 
• Freshman guard Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) also notched a double-double, scoring 13 points while grabbing 10 boards. Mason went a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
• Senior guard Kyle Harris (Buffalo, N.Y.) chipped in eight points and a career-high eight assists, and redshirt junior guard Da'Shawn Hines (Amherst, N.Y.) came off the bench to drill a pair of big three-pointers in the second half to account for all six of his points.
• Reggie Clark paced a quartet of double-figure scorers for the Redhawks with 18 points. Isaiah Lewis and Zecaree Veiga scored 16 points apiece with Veiga's contributions coming in a reserve role. Big man Armon Nasseri chipped in with 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

PERIOD-BY-PERIOD SUMMARY
First Half (Daemen 42, Roberts Wesleyan 28) - Two three-pointers from Daemen's Harris book-ended a game-opening 17-7 run that established a 10-point lead just over seven minutes into the contest. After the Redhawks pulled within 17-14, Sischo went on a personal 7-0 run to push the Daemen lead back to double figures at 24-14. The Wildcat lead grew to 16 points (38-22) on Sischo's second-chance bucket at the 3:23 mark, and the Wildcats would take a 42-28 advantage into halftime. Sischo had his double-double wrapped up before the break, notching 20 points and 11 boards in the period. The hosts were hampered by poor shooting as they managed to make just 11-of-34 shots (32.4%), including a chilly 1-for-14 from three-point range (7.1%). 

Second Half (Roberts Wesleyan 58, Daemen 51) - Daemen netted the first nine points of the period, including six straight from Sischo to open up a 51-28 lead. The Wildcat lead reached 25 points (65-40) - its widest margin of the game - following an inside hoop by freshman forward Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) at the 10:48 mark. The pace of the game quickened with the Redhawks employing a full court press to aide their comeback efforts. Hines' second three-pointer of the period came at the 5:25 mark after the Redhawks had pulled within a dozen points, and it was followed by a fastbreak dunk from Sischo which put Daemen ahwad 84-67. Daemen maintained a double-figure advantage until the final minute of the contest, but the Redhawks never got closer than seven points.


INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Daemen shot 31-for-66 (47%) from the field and 25-for-28 (89.3%) from the free throw line. 
• Roberts Wesleyan shot 47.8% in the second half (22-for-46) and finished 33-for-80 on the night (41.3%). The hosts managed just 4-for-31 shooting from three-point range (12.9%). 
• Daemen owned a sizable 50-37 advantage in rebounding. Their 15 offensive rebounds led to a 22-15 edge in second-chance scoring. 
• The Roberts Wesleyan press was effective as Daemen committed 22 turnovers that led to 24 points for the hosts.
• The men in stripes made their presence felt, whistling a combined 47 fouls that resulted in a combined 48 free throw attempts.

GAME NOTES

• The win was Daemen's first in 341 days. Their last win came March 4, 2020 with a 90-76 triumph over Queens in the opening round of the ECC Championship - the same game Sischo scored his program-record 47 points.
• Daemen's 20 straight wins over Roberts Wesleyan is the program's longest active winning streak against a single opponent. The Wildcats own a 42-12 lead in the series and have won 26 of the last 27 meetings in the series dating back to the 2007-08 season. Daemen's success in the series now includes 14 straight wins at the Voller Athletic Center. Roberts Wesleyan's last win over Daemen came Feb. 15, 2011. Their last home win in the series came on Feb. 21, 2007.
• Today's game was the first of three meetings between the Wildcats and Redhawks this season, two of which happen this week. The teams were scheduled to play this past Saturday, Feb. 6, but that game was postponed due to inclement weather and poor travel conditions along Interstate-90. It was announced earlier today that the game would be rescheduled for Thursday, Feb. 11.
• The win was Daemen's 52nd straight when reaching the 90-point plateau. Since the start of the 2009-10 season, Daemen is 82-2 when scoring 90 or more points. Their last loss when scoring in the 90's came January 7, 2014 at Dominican (98-93, overtime). 
• Today's game was the third of 12 on the schedule for Daemen during this unprecedented season. All games are subject to change based upon COVID-19 testing results among Daemen's Tier 1 personnel, as well as that of their opponents. Daemen has already had three games postponed due to COVID-19 issues, two of which have been rescheduled. The Wildcats went into a COVID-related pause in team activities from Jan. 15-24. 
• Roberts Wesleyan is ranked fourth in the Division II Sports Information Directors of America East Region media poll that was released earlier today. Daemen, which has been as high as No. 2 in that poll this season, dropped out of the ranking for the first time in 35 weeks, a span that dates back to December 2017. 
• Roberts Wesleyan features a veteran-laden team that returns all five starters from last season. Tonight's loss snapped their modest two-game winning streak. 
• 50 rebounds is the most for Daemen in a game since they grabbed 51 at Mercy on Dec. 13, 2019.
• Sischo, a consensus All-American, continues to climb his way up the Daemen record books. His point total this evening included the 1,900th of his career. In 92 career games, Sischo has totaled 1,918 points and 946 rebounds. He stands as the only player in program history with at least 1,800 points and 900 rebounds. Already the program's all-time leader in field goals (762), he moved entered today's game in a tie with David Skolen for third place in career scoring and he stands just two points shy of Brian Montanaro (1,920 points) for second all-time. Sischo also ranks fourth in Daemen history for career rebounds. 
• Sischo has also moved up among the East Coast Conference all-time leaders in career points. Tonight, he surpassed New York Tech's Bryant Lassiter (1,913) to move into seventh place on the ECC's all-time scoring list. In addition, Sischo ranks second in career field goals and ninth in career rebounds among the ECC's all-time leaders.
• Sischo's 42 points this evening are the most ever for a Daemen player in a regular season ECC contest. The previous record of 36 points was shared by Sischo (Feb. 16, 2018 vs. Molloy; Feb. 8, 2019 vs. Molloy) and Gerald Beverly (Jan. 10, 2015 vs. Bridgeport). Sischo also matched his own record for field goals made in an ECC game with 16 (also Feb. 8, 2019 vs. Molloy). 
• Three of the 13 30-point games in Sischo's career have come against Roberts Wesleyan. In eight career games against the Redhawks, Sischo is averaging 24.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. 
• Sischo has recorded seven straight double-doubles and nine straight 20-point games dating back to last season. He also extended his personal streak of double-figure scoring to 54 consecutive games. Sischo has scored 10 or more points in 86 of his 92 career games. 
• Fasoyiro has now reached double figures in all three games this season and is averaging 14.0 points per game.
• It marked Daemen's first game with multiple players recording double-doubles since Nov. 8, 2019 vs. Nyack (Sischo: 34 points, 17 rebounds; Breon Harris: 11 points, 11 rebounds).
• Daemen was hit hard by graduation, losing four starters who each surpassed 1,000 points in their respective careers. Only Sischo, Harris, Fasoyiro and redshirt junior forward Ziv Basden started the season with more than 25 college games under their belt. Six of Daemen's 12 players are either freshmen or sophomores. Eight Daemen players have exercised their right to opt out of the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19. 

NEXT JUMP BALL

The Wildcats return to Lumsden Gymnasium to host ECC newcomer D'Youville on Wednesday, Feb. 10.

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