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| Reggie Sidbury (#21) tied for a team-high 16 points |
From our friends at UDC Athletics...
Struggles Continue for Depleted Firebirds in Loss to Daemen
Five of the mere seven available Firebird players scored in double figures, but the University of the District of Columbia men's basketball team was simply out-manned in a 92-71 loss to East Coast Conference newcomer Daemen on Friday night at UDC Gym.
Reigning ECC rookie of the week, freshman guard Reggie Sidbury (Social Work – Landover, MD/Charles Herbert Flowers HS) and sophomore guard Omar Abbas (Electrical Engineering – Alexandria, Egypt/Egyptian American HS) scored 16 points apiece to lead the Firebirds offensively. Junior transfer forward Lenjo Kilo (Biology – Silver Spring, MD/Seton Hill) registered 11 points and nine rebounds, and sophomore forward Clenso Brannon III (Graphic Design – Washington, DC/College of Southern Maryland) posted his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
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| Great game for Tim Frazier (#5) - 8 rebounds in 19 minutes |
However, the Firebirds had no answer for Daemen's 6-foot-7, 225 lb. junior forward, Gerald Beverly, who dominated in the paint on both ends of the floor with game-highs of 34 points and five blocked shots as well as seven rebounds. Fellow frontcourt mate Kadeem Johnson was also very effective with 20 points and a game-high 13 rebounds (seven offensive). These two were key to the Wildcats earning their ECC-best 11th straight victory and improving to 15-3 in league play (18-6 overall).
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| Omar Abbas (#4) matched Reggie Sidbury with 16 points |
UDC led only once in the game, 3-2 after a three-pointer by Kilo at the 19-minute mark. The lead was short-lived as Daemen out-scored UDC 13-5 over the next six minutes t go up 15-8 on a pair of free-throws by Beverly. The Firebirds slowly but surely whittled away at the Wildcat lead and ultimately tied the score at 26 on a layup by junior forward Tim Frazier (Elementary Education – Washington, DC/Friendship Collegiate Academy) just past the seven minute mark. Daemen responded with an emphatic alley-oop dunk by Beverly, and the Wildcats went on a 17-6 run over the next four minutes to take a 43-32 advantage. Daemen would take their largest lead of the half, 49-37 into the break.
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| Prince Ritson (#1) added 11 points |
The Firebirds got as close as nine courtesy of a 6-0 run midway through the second half, but never got any closer than that the rest of the way. The Wildcats outscored UDC 15-7 over the final 4:45 to win by their largest margin of the night, 92-71.
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| Clenso Brannon III (#2) had a double-double (10/10) |
UDC (3-18, 1-14 ECC) will host ECC foe Roberts Wesleyan on Sunday, February 16th at 1 p.m.
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| Head coach Mike Riley addresses the troops |
Click here for yesterday's box score.
