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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
A_Mason_2023-24_Syracuse
Rich Barnes
64
Winner Daemen Daemen 4-2,0-0 ECC
63
Mercyhurst Mercy 2-3,0-0 PSAC
Winner
Daemen Daemen
4-2,0-0 ECC
64
Final
63
Mercyhurst Mercy
2-3,0-0 PSAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Daemen Daemen 36 28 64
Mercyhurst Mercy 30 33 63

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

Wildcats Survive Late Rally By Lakers For 64-63 Win At Mercyhurst

ERIE, Pa. – Senior Nick MacDonald (Amherst, N.Y.) scored a team-high 15 points to lead Daemen University to a 64-63 victory over Mercyhurst University this evening at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center.

Mercyhurst was ranked 25th nationally in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II preseason poll, while Daemen was receiving votes in the same poll. Both teams are also ranked regionally by the College Sports Communicators (CSC), as Daemen is ranked fifth in the CSCD2 East region poll, while Mercyhurst is ranked fifth in the Atlantic region.

Daemen improved to 4-2 on the year, while Mercyhurst dropped to 2-3.

IMPACT PLAYERS
  • MacDonald connected on 6-of-9 shots overall and went 2-of-3 from downtown. He also secured five rebounds.
  • Sophomore Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) scored 10 points in the opening half and finished with 14 points and two assists. He scored in double figures for the sixth-straight game.
  • Senior Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) connected on 4-of-6 three-pointers and totaled 12 points, five rebounds and three assists.
  • Graduate student Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.) added nine points, six rebounds and four assists.
  • Graduate student Jeff Planutis paced the Lakers with 18 points, five rebounds and three assists.

GAME NOTES
  • It marked the 10th all-time meeting between the two programs. Mercyhurst owns a 7-3 advantage in the all-time series.
  • Last year's game at Lumsden Gymnasium was also decided by one point, as the Lakers hit a buzzer-beating shot to win 62-61.
  • Mercyhurst is a member of the Pennsylvania State Atlantic Conference (PSAC). The Lakers went 25-6 overall (18-4 PSAC), lost in the championship game of the PSAC Tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year. The Lakers were picked third in the PSAC West preseason poll.
  • Daemen returns four starters from last year's team that finished 20-8 overall and 12-4 in the East Coast Conference. The Wildcats were picked second in the ECC preseason poll.
  • The teams traded baskets for the first nine minutes and the hosts held a 16-15 lead when the Wildcats put together a 9-2 run. A jumper by Atkins with 7:14 left before halftime capped the run and gave the Wildcats a 24-18 lead.
  • The Daemen lead was just two points, 27-25, when back-to-back three-pointers by senior Dylan Fasoyiro (Houston, Tex.) and Mason gave the Wildcats a 33-25 lead and the hosts took a 36-30 lead into halftime.
  • Daemen outscored the Lakers 8-2 over the first three minutes of the second half to take a 44-32 lead, but the hosts got back-to-back three-pointers to quickly cut the lead in half.
  • Daemen later took its largest lead of the game, 57-43, following a layup by MacDonald with 9:29 left, and the lead was still double digits (62-51) after Glover scored with just under five minutes left.
  • The Wildcats did not convert a field goal the rest of the way and the hosts eventually made it a one-possession game (64-61) after freshman Adam Bilinsky scored with 1:57 to play.
  • Daemen came up empty on its next possession and Mercyhurst had a chance to tie the game after junior Aidan Reichert scored and was fouled. Reichert could not convert the three-point play and Daemen clung to a 64-63 lead with a minute left.
  • Daemen turned the ball over on its next possession, but Bilinsky missed a layup at the other end.
  • MacDonald was then called for a charge with 16 seconds left, giving Mercyhurst the chance to once again win it on the possession.
  • Planutis had an open jumper in the lane that was no good and Glover grabbed the rebound. After two quick fouls Fasoyiro went to the charity stripe for a one-and-one with three seconds left. He missed the front end and a half court shot by Mercyhurst was off the mark at the buzzer.
  • Daemen shot 56-percent (14-25) in the first half and finished 25-for-49 (51%) from the field overall. The Wildcats connected on 9-of-19 three-pointers and made 5-of-9 from the charity stripe.
  • Mercyhurst finished 25-of-51 (49%) from the field overall and made 6-of-16 from downtown. The Lakers canned 7-of-13 from the charity stripe.
     
NEXT JUMP BALL
The Wildcats return to action Saturday (Nov. 18) when they travel to Orangeburg, N.Y. to take on regionally ranked Dominican University.
 

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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