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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
J_Atkins2023-24vsSTAC
Geoff Schneider
82
St. Thomas Aquinas STA 19-5,10-2 ECC
87
Winner Daemen Daemen 18-7,8-4 ECC
St. Thomas Aquinas STA
19-5,10-2 ECC
82
Final
87
Daemen Daemen
18-7,8-4 ECC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
St. Thomas Aquinas STA 51 31 82
Daemen Daemen 43 44 87

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

Wildcats Rally For Big 87-82 Win Over Nationally-Ranked Spartans

AMHERST, N.Y. – Senior Dylan Fasoyiro (Houston, Tex.) paced a balanced offense with 23 points, as the Daemen University men's basketball team rallied for an 87-82 victory over nationally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas College this evening at the Lumsden Gymnasium on the Daemen campus.

Daemen, which entered the game ranked eighth in the East Region by the Division II College Sports Communicators (D2CSC), improved to 18-7 overall and 8-4 in the ECC. The Spartans suffered their second-straight loss and dropped to 19-5 overall and 10-2 in the league. STAC entered the game ranked No. 1 in the region by the D2CSC. In the national polls, the Spartans come in at No. 15 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches poll and No. 12 in the D2CSC national poll.

STAC maintains a one game lead over idle College of Staten Island in the ECC standings, while Daemen maintains its hold on third place.

IMPACT PLAYERS
  • Daemen is 3-1 against nationally-ranked programs this season.
  • Daemen finished with four players in double figures for the 18th time this season.
  • Fasoyiro, who did not play in a 92-82 loss at STAC last month, tied his career-high with five three-pointers tonight. 21 of his 23 points came from beyond the three-point line and at the free throw line, where he was a perfect 6-for-6.
  • Graduate student Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.) added 15 points, six rebounds and three steals.
  • Senior Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) went 4-of-8 from beyond the arc and totaled 14 points, while sophomore point guard Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) totaled 14 points, five assists, two steals and no turnovers.
  • Sophomore guard Kyle Pulliam paced the Spartans with a game-high 30 points. Classmate James Patterson, who entered the game averaging a league-high 24.5 points, added 21 points, but committed eight of STAC's 16 turnovers.

GAME NOTES
  • The two rivals have now split the regular-season series each of the last three seasons.
  • STAC, which entered the game averaging a league-high 90.8 points per game, netted 51 points in the first half, but was limited to just 31 points after halftime.
  • Daemen held an early 6-5 lead when the Spartans took control with a 19-6 run. A layup by sophomore Rich Smith with 11:01 left before the break capped the run and gave the visitors a 24-12 lead.
  • The lead was 19 points, 45-26, with just over five minutes to play in the half, when back-to-back three-pointers by Fasoyiro sparked the Wildcats on a 13-0 run. Two free throws by Fasoyiro with 3:00 left in the half capped the run and made it a six-point game, 45-39. The teams traded baskets the rest of the half and STAC took a 51-43 lead into the break.
  • Patterson gave the Spartans a 61-54 lead midway through the second half, but Daemen answered with eight unanswered points the Wildcats took their first lead since early in the first half after a triple by freshman Zach Philipkoski (New Harford, N.Y.) gave the hosts a 62-61 lead with 8:30 left.
  • The teams traded baskets for the next five minutes and the Wildcats took the lead for good, 70-69, after Atkins made two free throws with 3:05 left.
  • The Wildcat lead was still one point, 74-73, when Glover hit a clutch three-pointer with 1:16 left. STAC came up empty on its next possession and Atkins hit jumper with 35 seconds left to give the Wildcats a 79-73 lead. The Spartans came no closer than four points down the stretch, as the Wildcats went 8-for-8 from the charity stripe to seal the win.
  • Daemen shot just 40-percent (23-57) from the field overall, but made 13-of-31 from long range and canned 28-of-29 free throws.
  • STAC shot 63-percent (19-of-30) from the field overall and went 6-of-11 from downtown in the first half. The Spartans went cold in the second half, making just 10-of-30 overall and 3-of-7 from downtown. The visitors connected on 15-of-21 from the charity stripe.
  • The Wildcats won the turnover battle 10-16 and finished with a 20-3 advantage in points off turnovers.
NEXT JUMP BALL
Daemen returns to action Sunday when it hosts Mercy University at 3 p.m.
 

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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