Two ECC nail-biters in Western New York comprised the Saint Valentine’s Day schedule, including a nationally televised clash between two regional powers that didn’t disappoint:
DAEMEN 81 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 77
Breon Harris delivered the tying and go-ahead free throws with 1:05 to play, lifting Daemen past #12 St. Thomas Aquinas at Lumsden Gym in a dramatic, nationally-televised ECC game that saw the Wildcats blow a 20-point, second-half lead before recovering, avenging a December loss in Sparkill. A 29-11 first-half run – capped by Andrew Sischo’s traditional 3-point play – opened up a 37-20 lead en route to a 47-31 halftime divide. A 9-0 second-half spurt boosted the advantage to 58-38, and it was still a 20-point gap (63-43) nearly seven minutes into the final period when the Spartans embarked on a 33-12 tear, nosing in front for the first time since 9-8 on a hoop in the paint by Osbel Caraballo (21 points) that made it 76-75 with 1:20 to go. After Harris’ clutch foul shots 15 seconds later, the hosts got a stop and Joey Wallace converted their biggest basket – a second-chance reverse lay-up in traffic with 41 ticks remaining – that made it a 78-75 game. Carballo was fouled next trip down and split a pair at the stripe to make it a two-point game, but Harris – who finished with 20 points – nailed the icing free throws with 11 seconds on the clock, closing out the scoring and handing STAC its first loss in 11 road games this season. All five Daemen starters reached double figures, including Sischo (19 points, 9-11 FG, eight rebounds), Wallace (14 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists), Jay Sarkis notched 12 points (including the 1,000th of his career in his 100th game) on 4-of-8 long-range shooting) and Jeff Redband (11). Demetre Roberts (four assists) and Grant Singleton (4-7 from downtown Buffalo) each netted 16 points for second-place Aquinas, while Sekou Cisse added 14 points (7-11 FG) and eight boards. Daemen – which is now a half-game behind the Spartans for the second playoff bye – was the superior shooting team (57%-46%), while STAC forced more turnovers (21-13), including nine in under nine minutes, fueling the second-half comeback. The Wildcats have now won 20 games in seven of the last nine seasons, dating back to its final years in NAIA.
ROBERTS WESLEYAN 78 MERCY 75
Just down the Thruway in Rochester, Reggie Clark totaled 27 points and seven rebounds, drilling a tying triple that sparked a game-changing, 8-0 second-half spurt as Roberts Wesleyan rallied past Mercy to snap a nine-game losing streak and assure that all 37 regional teams have earned conference wins this winter. Armon Nasseri tossed in 20 points for the Redhawks, who were pushing the proverbial rock up the hill virtually all night, falling behind 22-9 and 39-28 by halftime. However, a 22-11 spell out of intermission gave the hosts a 52-50 lead on Nasseri’s tiebreaking lay-up at the 11:43 mark. The game remained air-tight the rest of the way, with that 8-0 surge flipping a 59-56 Roberts deficit into a 64-59 lead with 4:58 to play. The Mavericks – who were powered by Bryan Griffin’s dominant 27-point (13-20 FG), 18-rebound performance – closed within a single point three times down the stretch; the last occurrence at 76-75 on a Griffin slam with 14 seconds left. Clark answered with two foul shots three seconds later to close out the scoring as the hosts went a perfect 10-for-10 at the stripe over the final minute. Garrett Kirkland had a good look at a potential tying three from the top of the key, but it bounded off the rim as time expired, leaving the Mavs two games behind Queens and Molloy for the sixth and final playoff spot. Armani Lee produced 16 points, five rebounds and seven assists for the Redhawks, who also received 13 points from Shane Fanning as the starting five accounted for all the scoring. Griffin – who recorded his 1,000th career point during the contest – was backed by Brandon Wilson (17 points), Lamont Williams, Jr. (13 points, nine assists in 40 minutes) and Kirkland (12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from deep). The Redhawks won the game despite being soundly outshot from the floor (47%-36%) and beyond the arc (20-9 to 6-27) while also getting bettered on the backboards (38-32). They overcame those shortfalls with bountiful foul shooting (28-30 to 8-9) and by taking better care of the rock (seven turnovers compared to 13 for MC). Three of Roberts Wesleyan’s four wins this season have come in three Upstate New York cities (Buffalo, Albany and Rochester).