BUFFALO, N.Y. – Junior guard Jordan Cain led the St. John Fisher men's basketball team with 21 points, but the Cardinals fell to Division II Daemen 74-66 in an exhibition at the KeyBank Center on Saturday as part of the Greenlight Networks Preseason Showcase.
The Cardinals led by as many as five points in the second half and never trailed by more than 10 at any point in the contest.
Cain, who shot 9-of-18 from the field (1-of-3 from three), scored 11 points in the first half and 10 in the second. The Utica transfer also led the Cardinals with six assists and three steals and grabbed six rebounds.
Sophomore guard Mekhi Gidney and junior guard Jack Janes also scored in double figures. Gidney had 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while Janes scored 10 on 5-of-9 shooting to go with a team-high seven rebounds.
Daemen was led by Phil Nwugwo, who posted a double-double with 32 points and 13 rebounds. Trevor Barrett scored 21 points and knocked down a game-high three 3-pointers.
The Wildcats had a significant advantage at the free throw line, making 19 foul shots (32 attempts) compared to the Cardinals' six (nine attempts). St. John Fisher outscored Daemen 48-36 in the paint.
How It Happened
After the Wildcats went on a 10-0 run to take a 23-13 lead midway through the first half, the Cardinals used a 10-2 push to cut their deficit to two, 25-23. Cain (6 points) and Gidney (4 points) accounted for all of St. John Fisher's scoring during that stretch.
Daemen took an eight-point lead on a 3-pointer by Barrett with 1:13 left in the half, but the Cardinals responded with a 6-0 run and went into the break down by two, 33-31. Junior guard Alex Hayes made a pair of free throws and a floater that beat the buzzer to lead Fisher in that spurt.
The Cardinals' momentum carried into the second half, which they began on a 10-4 run to take a four-point lead at 41-37. After Daemen cut it to 41-40, Janes made layups on back-to-back possessions to give the Cardinals their largest lead of the day, 45-40.
Daemen swung back with a 17-4 run that included seven points from Barrett and five from Nwugwo to take a 57-49 lead. Fisher was able to trim its deficit to three by the 4:56 mark, but the Wildcats gave themselves breathing room down the stretch with a 5-0 run and eventually pushed their advantage to 10, matching their largest lead of the day.
Up Next
The Cardinals begin the regular season against Virginia Wesleyan on Friday, Nov. 6, in Virginia Beach, Va.
