Daemen Goes Toe to Toe with Nation's Number One

If I told you on Friday that the Daemen Wildcats would hold a lead on the number one team in the country with just over nine minutes left in the second half, everyone besides coach Don Silveri and his players would have looked at me funny. Well, that's exactly what they did and they played well enough to win, but fell just a mere two points short in the end.

The Walsh Cavaliers came into this contest at 6-0 (2-0) and the newly ranked number one team in the country. Daemen came into this game off a huge conference win against Notre Dame 77-69. They brought that energy into this game and gave Walsh a run for their money.

After another slow start, something Daemen has become notorious for, they regrouped to comeback and tie the score at 31 at the half. With just over nine minutes, Walsh went on a 9-2 run powered by seven points from Jeremy Shardo. With under two minutes left, MJ Oridami hit two clutch threes to cut the deficit to two with 26 seconds remaining. After missed free throws by the Cavaliers, Casey Sheehan missed a three point opportunity. A quick foul brought Walsh back to the free throw line where they missed another pair and a push up the floor brought a 24 foot opportunity for Oridami but it was just a little strong and the Wildcats' effort fell.

Although a loss was put on the record of Daemen, they will be able to take a lot out of this game. The ability to compete with the best team in the country brings out many positives.

In this game, the Wildcats were lead by Moustapha Baidy who had his best game of the young season as he went for 12 points and 7 rebounds. He was able to use his size and strength to provide a dominant force down low and compete on the glass. Khorri Silcott led in rebounds with 10 and added six points. Casey Sheehan had nine points and three assists. MJ Oridami and Aaron Davis each added eight points. Mark Coppola led in assists with five.

Daemen, now at 3-7 (1-1) will have to re-focus as they travel to Roberts' Wesleyan for a big conference showdown Tuesday Night.