Purple Knights Top Daemen, 77-71, In Battle Of ECC Men's Basketball Heavyweights

Amherst, N.Y.-The University of Bridgeport men's basketball team picked up its eighth win in a row on Sunday afternoon as the Purple Knights, who trailed only once in the game at 2-0, held on for a 77-71 road triumph over the host Daemen College Wildcats in a battle of East Coast Conference heavyweights in Western New York. Bridgeport is now 17-4 overall and 10-1 in conference play. With the loss which snaps a nine-game winning streak for the Wildcats, Daemen is now 14-7 overall and 8-3 in the ECC.

The visiting Purple Knights raced out to a 20-point, 46-26, advantage at halftime, and upped their lead to 24 points with 13:51 to play at 62-38, only to see the host team storm back to cut the lead down to only two at 73-71 with 19 seconds to play before UB hit four free throws to seal the victory.

Daemen outscored Bridgeport, 45-31, in the final 20 minutes of action.

Senior Sam Joseph (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the Purple Knights in scoring with 23 points, and he was joined in double figures by senior Sharif Cobb (Harlem, N.Y.) and junior D'Vonne Trumbo (Pilesgrove, N.J.) who each had 14 points. Trumbo also chipped a team-best six rebounds, five assists and three steals for the winners.

Daemen's Breon Harris led all scorers in the game with a career-high 28 points.

Up next, the UB men's basketball team returns to the friendly confines of Hubbell Gym on Wednesday night when they host LIU Post in an ECC contest. Action is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m.