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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
A_Mason_2022-23
Geoff Schneider
70
Daemen DAEM 3-5, 0-3 ECC
72
Winner St. Thomas Aquinas STACMBB 8-1, 3-0 ECC
Daemen DAEM
3-5, 0-3 ECC
70
Final
72
St. Thomas Aquinas STACMBB
8-1, 3-0 ECC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Daemen DAEM 36 34 70
St. Thomas Aquinas STACMBB 38 34 72

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | CONTACT: Tom McDermott, Director of Athletics Communications | tmcdermo@daemen.edu

Spartans Rally For 72-70 Win Over Wildcats

SPARKILL, N.Y. – Saint Thomas Aquinas College erased a 10 point deficit with less than four minutes to play to secure a 72-70 victory over Daemen University this evening in men's basketball action at Alumni Hall on the STAC campus. The host Spartans, who entered the game ranked 25th nationally in the NABC Division II poll, remained unbeaten in East Coast Conference (3-0) and improved to 8-1 overall. Daemen suffered its third-straight loss and dropped to 3-5 overall and 0-3 in the ECC.

Four of Daemen's five losses have been by five points or less. The Wildcats lost at the final buzzer (62-61) against Mercyhurst University back on Nov. 16 and opened conference play with losses to Molloy University (72-68) and Queens College (70-65) last weekend.

Both teams entered tonight's game ranked in the East Region by the NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA). STAC is ranked third in the region, while the Wildcats are tied for ninth.

IMPACT PLAYERS
  • Redshirt junior DaVante Jamison paced the hosts with 23 points and six assists, while redshirt senior Antonio Vendola added 11 points and five rebounds.
  • Junior Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) went 7-for-11 from three-point land and finished with a season-high 21 points for the Wildcats. He tied Daemen's NCAA-era (2015-present) record for most three-pointers made in a game. He tied the record held by current assistant coach Jeff Redband, who made seven three-pointers in a game four times during his career--most recently during an 83-74 loss at Bridgeport on Feb. 7, 2020.
  • Senior Nick MacDonald (Amherst, N.Y.) went 3-of-4 from downtown and finished with 18 points and five rebounds. He has now scored in double figures in all eight games this season.
  • Redshirt senior Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.) added nine points, a team high seven rebounds, two blocks and three steals.
  • Junior transfer Dylan Fasoyiro (Houston, Tex.) made his first start of the year and chipped in nine points and five boards.
GAME NOTES
  • Tonight's game marked the 28th all-time meeting between the two teams. STAC has prevailed in the last three meetings and owns a 19-9 advantage in the all-time series. Five of the last eight meetings have been decided by five points or less.
  • Fasoyiro gave the Wildcats a 70-60 lead with 3:28 to play, but the Wildcats went scoreless the rest of the way and STAC eventually made it a one one-point game, 70-69, following a three-pointer by Jamison with 34 seconds left.
  • Daemen turned the ball over on their next possession and the Spartans answered with another triple, this one by junior Jamal Barnes, with six seconds left to take a 72-70 lead.
  • Mason got off a three-pointer just before the final buzzer, but it was off the mark.
  • Neither team led by more than five points during the first half and STAC took a 38-36 lead into the break.
  • The game remained close through the first 12 minutes of the second half, before the Wildcats used an 11-2 spurt to take a 66-56 lead. Mason drilled three three-pointers during the run.
  • The teams then traded baskets until the Spartans put together their decisive 12-0 run over the final 3:20.
  • Daemen shot a season-high 51-percent (27-for-53) from the field overall and equaled its season-high with 11 three-pointers. The Wildcats finished just 5-of-9 from the free throw line.
  • STAC shot 45-percent (27-for-59) from the field overall and went 8-of-17 from downtown. The Spatans made 10-of-12 from the charity stripe.
  • The hosts posted a 31-29 edge in total rebounds and a 13-10 edge in offensive boards. STAC also finished with a 36-26 advantage in points in the paint.
NEXT JUMP BALL
Daemen returns to action Sunday (Dec. 11) with a league game at Mercy College. Mercy dropped to 2-7 overall and 1-2 in the lead following an 89-82 loss to D'Youville University tonight.
 

Daemen University 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.
Follow the Daemen men's basketball program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @DaemenMBB.
 
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