AMHERST, N.Y. – All-American center Andrew Sischo scored 29 points and grabbed 18 rebounds while all five Daemen starters hit double-figures here Saturday as the No. 22 Wildcats stunned No. 4 West Liberty, 98-85, in an early-season battle of Top 25 foes.
    Coach Ben Howlett's Hilltoppers (2-1) never really got untracked as the Daemen (5-1) came out smoking. A 14-3 run turned a one-possession game into a 25-12 Wildcat lead at the 12-minute mark of the opening half and WLU couldn't string enough stops together to cut into the lead as the hosts carried a 57-45 edge into intermission.
    The 6-9 Sischo was virtually unstoppable, going 8-for-8 from the floor – including a 3-point bomb – for 19 points while grabbing 8 rebounds and blocking a pair of shots in the first half alone.
    After shooting just over 40 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes, West Liberty tried to fight its way back when play resumed.
    The Black and Gold closed to within 7 points on multiple occasions in the early minutes of the second half but their shooting woes intensified and ultimately proved too much to overcome.
    A Dalton Bolon 3-pointer cut the lead to 68-61 as the clock ticked under 13 minutes but the Wildcats' Joey Wallace answered with a short jumper to make it 70-61.
    Following a West Liberty turnover, Sischo fired a kick-out pass to Kyle Harris for a 3-pointer and a 73-61 Daemen lead at the 12:22 mark. With the Hilltoppers shooting 39 percent (15-of-38) from the floor and 15 percent (2-of-13) from the 3-point arc in the second half, the margin never dropped into single digits again.
    Will Yoakum topped West Liberty with 18 points while Bolon and Preston Boswell added 15 and 14 points, respectively. Wallace backed Sischo with 19 points for the Wildcats while Breon Harris added 17. Kyle Harris and Jeff Redband finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
    The Hilltoppers return home on Wednesday for a non-conference game against Salem. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.