Daemen's D Holds Strong in Offensive Struggle

For the second straight game, the Daemen defense stepped up and helped to equalize a weak offensive effort. After a very sluggish first half Daemen found themselves down by 3, 31-28 at halftime. During the break coach Don Silveri made some adjustments and at the start of the second half, Daemen switched from their traditional man-to-man defense, to a 2-3 zone. The 2-3 zone, something that Syracuse University runs, and runs very effectively.

This second half zone held Wilberforce to only 18 points and Daemen managed to pull away at the end for a 61-49 victory.

The game was tied at 45-45 with about nine minutes left to play. At this time, over a 90 second stretch, MJ Oridami hit three straight three point shots to give Daemen a 54-45 lead, something they hadn't had since early in the first half. They finished the game on a 16-4 run to leave Wilberforce in the dust.

Oridami had 14 points on 4 of 9 shooting. Dom Mazzocchi was the only other Wildcat in double figures with 10, to go along with 8 rebounds. Mark Coppolla continued his dominant point gaurd play without putting the ball in the basket. He had seven assists to go with only one turnover. Khorri Silcott had a career high in rebounds with 13 with 9 points.

With the win, Daemen moves to 5-7 and an all important 3-1 in conference play. The Wildcats play next against Wilfred Laurier on December 21st.