THE LEAD: The Daemen College men's basketball team closes out its stretch of three-straight home games when it hosts LIU Post (Jan. 23) and New York Tech (Jan. 24) in East Coast Conference games this weekend…Daemen will look to keep pace with the University of Bridgeport atop the ECC standings.
Friday, Jan. 23, 2015
LIU Post at Daemen - 8 p.m.
Lumsden Gymnasium, Amherst, N.Y.
LIVE STATS / LIVE VIDEO / DAEMEN ROSTER / DAEMEN STATS / LIUP ROSTER / LIUP STATS
Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015
New York Tech at Daemen - 4 p.m.
Lumsden Gymnasium, Amherst, N.Y.
LIVE STATS / LIVE VIDEO / NYIT ROSTER / NYIT STATS
CROWD PLEASERS: A packed Lumsden Gymnasium has become the norm for men's basketball games…Daemen averaged an ECC-best 400 fans at Lumsden Gym last year…the Wildcats have provided some very entertaining basketball—averaging 86 points per game during their last 21 home games since the start of the 2013-14 season.
HOME SWEET HOME: Daemen extended its home winning streak to 43-straight games (dating back to the start of the 2011-12 season) following its 83-63 win over rival Roberts Wesleyan this past Tuesday…Daemen's home winning streak ranks as the second longest in the nation among all NCAA men's basketball programs…only Division III Albertus Magnus (49) owns longer home winning streak than Daemen…the top five home winning streaks among NCAA men's basketball programs as of games played Jan. 21 include Albertus Magnus (49), Daemen (43), Metro State (35), Gonzaga (34) and Arizona (32)…Daemen has gone 44-1 at home since the start of the 2011-12 season.
ECC WIN STREAK COMES TO AN END: Daemen saw its Division II-best 21-game conference winning streak come to an end following a 95-87 loss at St. Thomas Aquinas last Friday…the Wildcats rebounded with league wins over Mercy (90-80) and Roberts Wesleyan (83-63) and are now 24-4 in conference games over the past two seasons.
POLL POSITION: Daemen is tied for eighth in the latest D2SIDA Division II East Region men's basketball media poll…the poll includes the top-ten teams from the East Coast Conference, the Northeast-10 Conference and the Central Collegiate Athletic Conference…Daemen is also ranked No. 1 in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) poll.
NATIONAL HONOR FOR BEVERLY: Senior forward Gerald Beverly was named the Division II National Player of the Week by the United States Basketball Writers Association after averaging 25.3 points, 16.7 rebounds and 3.7 blocks during recent wins over Washington Adventist University, Dowling College and the University of Bridgeport.
THE COACHES: Mike MacDonald is in his first season as head men's basketball coach at Daemen College after spending the past eight years at Medaille College where he transformed the program into a regional contender at the NCAA Division III level…inheriting a program that went 4-46 in the two years prior to his arrival, MacDonald's version of the Mavericks averaged 18 wins a season, while advancing to the postseason six times…Medaille's emergence as a Division III power in the Northeast was cemented in the last five seasons, as MacDonald led the Mavericks to more wins (101) than any other Division III team in New York State, while ranking 17th nationally in wins during the same time frame…MacDonald was named the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year on four occasions (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012)…he left Medaille as the school's all-time leader in wins (148) and winning percentage (.670)…prior to his stint at Medaille, MacDonald served as the head coach at Canisius College from 1997-2006, guiding the Golden Griffins to 108 wins which ranks him third in program history for coaching victories…in 17 seasons as a collegiate head coach, MacDonald has achieved a record of 268-230 (.538 winning percentage)…Erik Smiles is in his second season as head men's basketball coach at LIU Post…before coming to LIUP he spent nine seasons as head coach at NCAA Division III Farmingdale State College…a three-time Skyline Conference Coach of the Year selection, he posted a 182-72 (.717) record at FSC and led the Rams to four NCAA Division III Tournament appearances (2006, 08, 09, 12)…Sal Lagano is in his 18th season at New York Tech and entered the 2014-15 season with a career record of 239-241 (.498)…he guided the Bears to a 22-9 record and an appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2004.
MacDONALD TO COACH 500TH GAME SATURDAY: Saturday's game vs. New York Tech will mark Mike MacDonald's 500th game as a head coach…MacDonald coached 261 games at Division I Canisius College, 221 games at Division III Medaille College and will coach his 18th game at Division II Daemen Saturday.
MOVE TO II: Daemen is in Candidacy Year Three of the NCAA Division II membership process…Daemen was accepted as a member of the East Coast Conference (ECC) in July of 2012 and began playing full regular-season conference schedules in the fall of 2013…The College will also maintain its affiliation with the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) for postseason opportunities, as it will not be eligible for the ECC or NCAA postseason during Candidacy Year Three.
DAEMEN vs. NCAA DIVISION II OPPONENTS: The Wildcats went 20-5 against NCAA Division II opponents last season and are 36-12 against Division II teams since the start of the 2012-13 season.
THE SERIES vs. LIU POST: Friday's game will mark the fourth all-time meeting between Daemen and LIU Post…LIU Post has prevailed in two of the previous three meetings…the teams split their season series last year…the Pioneers posted a 93-85 victory on Long Island…LIU Post scored six points in the final five seconds to turn a two-point lead into an eight-point lead…Vaughn Allen (28 pts, 13 rebs) and P.J. Torres (22 pts, 5 stsl) led the Pioneers…Gerald Beverly scored 28 points for Daemen…Daemen answered with a 94-91 victory at Lumsden Gym…LIUP held a 37-24 with five minutes left in the first half, but the Wildcats closed the half with a 21-10 run that cut the lead to two points, 47-45, at the break…neither team led by more than five points the entire second half…five players scored in double figures for the Wildcats…Kadeem Johnson led the way with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists…Torres totaled 23 points, six rebounds and five assists for LIUP…the first-ever meeting came in opening round action of the LIU Post Holiday Invitational on Dec. 30, 2009…the Pioneers posted a 79-58 victory over the Wildcats.
THE SERIES vs. NEW YORK TECH: Saturday's game will mark the third all-time meeting between Daemen and New York Tech…the teams split their season series last winter…the teams met for the first time ever at NYIT and the Bears posted an 84-79 victory…NYIT took its largest lead of the game (80-69) with 2:27 left, but Daemen put together a 10-2 run that made it a one-possession game at 82-79…two free throws by Erick Satchell with 10 seconds left closed out the scoring…Phil Izevbehal (22 pts) and Marcus Moore (15 pts, 11 rebs) led the Bears, while Uchechi Ogbonna totaled 17 points and 12 rebounds for Daemen…Daemen earned the split following an 84-83 win at Lumsden Gym…Daemen held a 62-46 lead with 11 minutes before the Bears rallied and tied the game at 69-69 following a 23-7 run…Daemen trailed by three with under 10 seconds left when Gerald Beverly grabbed an offensive rebound and fed Kyle Clifford for a game-tying three-pointer…Clifford was fouled on the shot and made the free throw to give Daemen an 84-83 lead with :03 seconds left…a last second shot by NYIT was off the mark…Beverly led the way with 20 points and 11 rebounds…Wayne Bradford scored 23 points for the Bears.
THE WILDCATS (12-4; 7-1 ECC): Daemen returns eight players and just one starter from last year's team that posted a 21-7 overall record and claimed the East Coast Conference regular-season championship (17-3) in its first season as a league member…Daemen was voted third in the 2014-15 ECC preseason poll…the Wildcats have won 10 of their last 12 games and are coming off an 83-63 win over Roberts Wesleyan Tuesday…senior forward Gerald Beverly tops the list of returning players…the 2013-14 ECC Defensive Player of the Year and 2014-15 ECC Co-Preseason Player of the Year, Beverly has recorded six-straight and 12 total double-doubles this year and registered his first career triple double (17 pts, 17 rebs, 12 blks) during a 91-75 win over St. Thomas (Fla.)…he leads the team in scoring (19.3 ppg) and leads the ECC in rebounding (12.4 rpg), field goal percentage (.588) and blocks (62)…senior Jordan Greene also returns after averaging 10.5 points with a team-high 52 three-pointers last year…he scored a season-high 19 points and dished out a career-high 10 assists in a 91-88 OT win over Bridgeport and is averaging 11.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists with a team-high 33 three-pointers…junior guard Supreme Hannah has stepped into the starting lineup at point guard…he is shooting 49-percent from three-point land (20-for-41) and is averaging 10.7 points and 3.3 assists…he went 5-for-6 from downtown and scored a career-high 22 points in a 93-75 win over Queens…junior transfer Torrence Dyck, Jr. and freshman Nick Petrucelli have made immediate contributions…Dyck has scored 20 or more points in nine of DC's 16 games and scored a season-high 35 points in a loss to St. Thomas Aquinas last weekend…he is averaging 19.1 points and 5.2 rebounds…Petrucelli has started three games and played 44 minutes and contributed eight points and five assists in the OT win over Bridgeport…senior Kyle Clifford has scored in double figures in eight of the last 11 games and scored a career-high 18 points in an 89-88 win over Dowling…he is averaging 8.9 points with 29 three-pointers…senior Aaron Davis contributed eight points and five helpers in a win over Mercy last weekend, while sophomore Alex Borges netted 10 points in just 12 minutes off the bench in an 82-76 win over Washington Adventist.
THE PIONEERS (8-8; 3-5 ECC): LIU Post returns 10 players and four starters from last year's team that finished 17-12 (12-8 ECC) and advanced to the ECC Tournament…LIUP was voted second in the 2014-15 ECC preseason poll…LIU has advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament four of the last seven seasons…senior guard P.J. Torres tops the list of returning players…he collected second team All-ECC honors last winter after leading the team in scoring (16.6 ppg), assists (3.8 apg) and steals (38)…the Pioneers dropped six of their first nine games, but are 5-2 over their last seven…they are coming off an 85-78 OT win over New York Tech on Tuesday…Torres and senior forward Tyuan Williams have paced the Pioneers…Torres totaled 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the win over NYIT and is averaging 14.2 points and 6.8 rebounds…Williams has averaged 18.2 points over the last five games and totaled a season-high 24 points and nine rebounds against NYIT…he is averaging 14.3 points and 7.1 rebounds…additional production has come from newcomer Greg Dotson (10.7 ppg, 24 blks) and juniors Akosa Maduegbunam (9.6 ppg, 36 3pt fgs) and Dillon Burns (5.8 ppg, 3.9 apg)…Maduegbunam drilled five three-pointers and totaled 19 points in an 88-82 loss to nationally-ranked Southern Connecticut last month.
THE BEARS (5-11; 2-6 ECC): New York Tech returns six players and two starters from last year's team that finished 10-16 overall and 8-12 in the ECC…NYIT was voted eighth in the 2014-15 ECC preseason poll…the Bears have dropped five of their last seven games and play at Roberts Wesleyan Friday before taking on Daemen Saturday…NYIT suffered an 85-78 OT loss to LIU Post Tuesday…senior guard Darian Hooker has provided the offense…a transfer from Division I Campbell who sat out last year with an injury, he has scored 30 or more points five times this year and is averaging a league-high 25.9 points per game…he also leads the team in three-pointers (38) and assists (4.9 apg)…he scored 34 points in a 93-86 win over Molloy last weekend and netted 30 points in the OT loss to LIU Post…additional production has come from junior college transfer Jon Feller (10.6 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 20 blks), junior guard Khalif Chaplin (11.1 ppg, 18 3pt fgs) and senior guard Jahleel Felix (9.2 ppg)…Feller had 21 points and 16 rebounds in a 76-68 loss to Queens on Jan. 14.
CONFERENCE CHAMPS: Daemen claimed the East Coast Conference regular-season championship last year in its first season of eligibility after posting a 17-3 league mark…the Wildcats, who were voted seventh out of 11 teams in the 2013-14 ECC preseason poll, closed out the regular-season by winning 16 consecutive league games—a streak that reached a Division-II best 21-straight league wins before the Wildcats suffered a 95-87 loss at St. Thomas Aquinas on Jan. 16.
20/20: Daemen has reached the 20-win plateau in each of that last three seasons (and eight times over the past 12 seasons).
ECC HONOR ROLL: Gerald Beverly has been honored as the ECC Player of the Week three times this season and is also a two-time selection to the weekly ECC honor roll…Torrence Dyck, Jr. is a two-time selection to the weekly ECC honor roll.
BEVERLY'S BLOCK PARTY: Gerald Beverly has recorded at least one block in 56 of the last 59 games dating back to the end of the 2012-13 season…he had a streak of 41-straight games with at least one block snapped during a win over District of Columbia on Jan. 3…he tied the ECC record for blocks in a game (12) during DC's win over St. Thomas (Fla.) on Dec. 17 and ranks high among all Division II players in blocks per game (3.9)…he recently replaced 2006 graduate Ron Wright as Daemen's leader in career blocks and enters this weekend's action with 282 blocks in 105 career games (2.7 per game)…he is on pace to become just the third player in ECC history to record 300 career blocks.
MORE BEVERLY: Gerald Beverly has scored in double figures in 46-straight games and recorded his 39th career double-double during Daemen's win over Roberts Wesleyan Tuesday…he registered his first career triple-double (17 pts, 17 rebs, 12 blks) during Daemen's win over St. Thomas (Fla.) on Dec. 17…Beverly has already become the first player in program history to total 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 blocks in a career…he enters this weekend's action ranked seventh in career points (1,487), third in career rebounds (830) and first in career blocks (282) among Daemen's all-time leaders.
GREENE HITS 150 TRIPLES: Senior Jordan Greene drilled four three-pointers during the win over Bridgeport on Jan. 10 and in the process recorded his 150th career triple…he has totaled 159 triples in 104 career games and has become just the fifth player in program history to reach 150 career three-pointers.
JUNIOR MINTS: Juniors Supreme Hannah and Torrence Dyck, Jr. have played a big role in Daemen's success…Hannah, who averaged just 3.3 points a game over his freshman and sophomore seasons is enjoying a breakout season…he has scored in double figures six times this season and is averaging 10.7 points…he is averaging 3.3 assists and leads the team in three-point field goal percentage (20-41/.488)…Dyck, a junior college transfer, has started all 16 games and ranks second on the team in scoring (19.1 ppg)…he has scored at least 20 points nine times and netted a season-high 35 points in the 95-87 loss at St. Thomas Aquinas on Jan. 16.
STEPPING UP: Senior Kyle Clifford and freshman Nick Petrucelli have stepped up in recent games…Clifford has shot 44-percent (16-36) from downtown and has averaged 12.8 points over the past six games…he scored a career-high 18 points in the 89-88 win over Dowling on Jan. 9…Petrucelli has started three of the last four games at point guard in place of the injured Supreme Hannah…he made his first career start in the 91-88 OT win over Bridgeport on Jan. 10…he played 44 of a possible 45 minutes and totaled eight points, four rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block…he also played 26 minutes off the bench in the 89-88 win over Dowling on Jan. 9 and canned the game-winning free throw with 1.6 seconds left in regulation.
DID YOU KNOW?: Daemen is 41-2 since the start of the 2009-10 season when it scores 90 or more points.
WHAT'S NEXT: Daemen is idle until next weekend when it travels to Molloy College (Jan. 30) and Queens College (Jan. 31) for ECC games…Daemen's complete 2014-15 schedule can be accessed HERE.
FOLLOW THE WILDCATS: Follow Daemen College men's basketball on Twitter (@DaemenAthletics or @DaemenMBB) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/daemencollegeathletics or www.facebook.com/DaemenCollegeMensBasketball) to get live game updates and breaking news throughout the year.
