AMHERST, N.Y. - Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) of Daemen College has been named the East Coast Conference Men's Basketball Co-Player of the Week for games played February 12-18. The official announcement of ECC accolades was made via the league's weekly sport report which was released this afternoon from conference headquarters in West Babylon, N.Y., and Sischo shared the top honor with sophomore guard Nick Corbett of Molloy College.
Already a seven-time ECC Rookie of the Week honoree this season, Sischo turned in his most impressive performance of the season this past Friday during a 102-98 double-overtime victory over Molloy, as he totaled 36 points and 23 rebounds. The 36 points are the fifth most by an ECC player this season. The 23 boards are the most by an ECC player this season, and ranks fourth among all Division II players this season for rebounds in a game.
The 6-foot-9 redshirt freshman center shot 12-for-19 from the field and 12-for-15 from the charity stripe while playing a career-high 45 minutes. He totaled 33 points and 16 rebounds in regulation time alone. His 36 points, a new career-high, are the most for a Daemen player since Torrence Dyck (Rochester, N.Y.) scored 35 in an epic come-from-behind win over Roberts Wesleyan College on Jan. 12, 2016. His 23 rebounds, also a new career-high, are the most for a Daemen player since Gerald Beverly (Rochester, N.Y.) hauled in 21 vs. Dowling College on Jan. 9, 2015. He also matched his career-high with three blocked shots as well. Sischo capped the weekend with 19 points and six rebounds in a 69-57 win over Queens.
Daemen, which is ranked in both the NCAA East Region poll and the D2SIDA East Region poll, improved to 19-7 overall and 13-3 in league play with the wins. The Wildcats have now posted at least 19 wins in each of the last seven seasons.
Sischo has posted 18 straight double-figure scoring games, now the longest streak for a Daemen player since former guard/forward Torrence Dyck (Rochester, N.Y.) posted 10 or more points in the final 24 games of his career during the 2015-16 season. Sischo's streak started Dec. 15 when he erupted for a career-high 27 points in a four-point road win over Mercy College. In the span, Sischo is averaging 18.3 points on 60.7 percent field-goal shooting (139-for-229), while adding 9.8 rebounds per game.
For the season, Sischo has appeared in all 26 games while making 14 starts, and he leads all ECC freshmen and ranks seventh among the overall conference leaders in scoring (15.6 ppg). He also ranks among the league leaders in rebounding (8.4 - second), made field goals (170 - fourth) and field goal percentage (57.8 - third). With 406 total points, Sischo has scored the most points for a Daemen freshman since Brian Montanaro's (Liverpool, N.Y.) 420 during the 2002-03 season.
Sischo had previously earned ECC Rookie of the Week honors for games played November 20-26, December 11-17, December 18-31, January 1-7, January 15-21, January 29-February 4 and February 5-11. His seven Rookie of the Week selections this season are the most for any ECC player since former Molloy guard John Petrucelli, brother of Sischo's teammate Nick Petrucelli (Hicksville, N.Y.), earned nine selections during the 2010-11 season. Since the start of the 2015-16 campaign, Daemen players have earned 17 of the 45 Rookie of the Week selections named by the conference, more than double the next closest team (Molloy College has eight selections in that span).
With two games left in the regular season, Daemen is hoping to secure a top-two seed in the upcoming ECC Tournament. Winners in 14 of their last 15 outings, the Wildcats have already clinched their third straight conference tournament berth and a top-three finish, but can still finish in a tie with Saint Thomas Aquinas College (23-6, 14-3 ECC) for second place. If that happens a coin flip tiebreaker scenario will come into play, with the winner receiving the No. 2 seed and a bye into the semifinal round.
Sischo and the Wildcats close out the regular season this weekend with ECC games at Long Island University Post (Feb. 23) and New York Institute of Technology (Feb. 25).
For breaking news and continuing coverage of the Daemen men's basketball team, follow @DaemenAthletics and @DaemenMBB on Twitter.
