ROCHESTER, N.Y. (February 24, 2015) – Despite a thrilling second half rally, Roberts Wesleyan suffered a 59-54 setback at home against rivals, Daemen, on Senior Night.

The Redhawks (10-14, 6-12 ECC) were led by junior forward Tyrel Dixon, who totaled 17 points after going 8 of 13 from the field to go along with 12 rebounds.

By falling to Daemen (18-8, 13-5 ECC), the Redhawks' postseason hopes come to an end as they needed to close out their schedule with three wins to have a chance a earning the sixth and final ECC tournament bid.

Playing Catch-Up
After quickly going up 4-0, Roberts Wesleyan found themselves in a 21-9 hole after the Wildcats went on a 21-5 run over a span of 12:30. That long run was capped off by a layup from Kyle Clifford, who finished with a game-high 24 points.

The Redhawks responded with a quick 13-0 run over the next five and a half minutes to cut the Daemen lead to one point when Dixon got one of his layups to fall.

Redhawks Hang Tough
After the break, Daemen managed to build an eight point lead when Clifford hit one of his six three-pointers with 10:40 left to play, but that would be the largest lead the rest of the way.

Over the following four minutes, Roberts Wesleyan outpaced the Wildcats with an 11-5 run to make the score 45-43 with under seven minutes to play. In that span, the Redhawks were 4 of 4 from the field, 2 of 2 from long range, and 1 of 2 at the line.

Dixon Puts the Redhawks Ahead
With 4:59 remaining, Dixon hit a jumper to tie the game at 47-47 only to give the Redhawks a 51-49 two minutes later with another basket. That lead was the first lead of the game for Roberts Wesleyan since leading 7-5 at the start of the game.

Daemen Hits Their Free Throws
With the Wildcats leading 56-54 with 23 seconds left, the Redhawks needed to foul to stop the clock. In doing so, they sent Supreme Hannah and Gerald Beverly to the line. Hannah would go 1 of 2 before Beverly sealed the win by hitting both of his shots at the line.