Men's Basketball Opens Second Round Of ECC Slate Friday At UDC

Wildcats Seek To Extend Six-Game Winning Streak & Looking For Split Of Season Series With Firebirds

THE LEAD: The Daemen College men's basketball team returns to action this Friday night when they visit University of the District of Columbia for a key East Coast Conference clash between two of the top five teams in the league.

Friday, January 29 (at UDC Sports Complex, Washington, D.C.)
Daemen vs. District of Columbia, 7:00 p.m.
DC ROSTER / DC STATS / UDC ROSTER / UDC STATS / VIDEO / LIVE STATS

DIVISION II DEBUT: Daemen successfully completed a three-year membership process and was approved for active membership status at the NCAA Division II level by the NCAA Membership Committee his past summer…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 2015-16 academic year will mark the first year Daemen will be eligible for ECC and NCAA post-season play.

MAC IS BACK: Local hoops fixture Mike MacDonald returns to the bench for his second season as Daemen's head coach, and his 19th season overall as a collegiate head coach...in his first season at the helm, MacDonald led Daemen to a 21-10 campaign which concluded with the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Division I national championship last March...by winning 20 games in his Daemen debut, MacDonald became one of the only active coaches in the country to achieve a 20-win season at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels of competition...prior to beginning his stint at Daemen, MacDonald transformed the Division III program at Medaille into a perennial power, averaging 18 wins per season and advancing to the postseason six times in his eight years as head coach...MacDonald made his head coaching debut at the Division I level, leading the program at Canisius from 1997-2006...while there, MacDonald's teams racked up 108 wins making him the third all-time winningest coach in the program's history...to date, MacDonald owns a career record of 288-242.

DAEMEN SCOUTING REPORT (11-6, 7-3 ECC): Daemen returns nine players from last year's team that posted a 21-10 overall record and a 13-7 mark in the East Coast Conference, while capturing the USCAA Division I national championship in the team's final year of non-eligibility for ECC and/or NCAA Division II postseason play...in addition to the returners, head coach Mike MacDonald welcomes nine fresh faces to his 18-man roster...Daemen was picked fourth in the ECC preseason poll released in late October...MacDonald welcomes back a pair of starters in senior guard Supreme Hannah and senior guard/forward Torrence Dyck...Hannah was perhaps the most improved player in the ECC last season, averaging 10.5 points and a team-best 3.9 assists per game as he transitioned into the team's starting point guard...Dyck, a 6-foot-5 slasher, made an immediate impact in his first season for the Wildcats, averaging 19.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game en route to first-team All-ECC honors, before having his season cut short in early February due to an injury...also back is 6-foot-7 forward Arif Mehmetaj...an inside-outside threat, Mehmetaj started the first three games of the 2014-15 season, averaging 8.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, before having his season cut short by an injury...after going 1-3 over their first four games of the season, Daemen has gone 10-3 in their last 13, dating back to an 88-79 non-conference win over Edinboro on Dec. 12...since then, the Wildcats have added non-league victories over Dominican (69-60) and Felician (94-71), while league wins have come against Dowling (97-80), Mercy (94-81), Roberts Wesleyan (98-96), LIU Post (91-82), NYIT (83-67), Molloy (81-64) and Queens (107-96)...the win over Mercy on Jan. 9 snapped Daemen's two-game home losing skid which featured ECC defeats to District of Columbia (89-84) and St. Thomas Aquinas (85-66)...the Wildcats have won six-straight heading into Friday's game at UDC...Dyck continues to pace an explosive Daemen offense which continues to lead the ECC in scoring at 85.4 points per game...Dyck leads the league in scoring individually, averaging 23.1 points per game...in addition, Dyck has dished a team-high 41 assists this season and is hauling in 5.8 rebounds per game which is second to only Mehmetaj who is having a fine season in his own right...Mehmetaj recorded his foruth double-double of the season in the win over NYIT, and for the season is averaging a team-high 6.3 rebounds, while adding 17.3 points per game to rank fifth in the league in scoring...additional production is coming from freshman guard Jay Sarkis (7.2 ppg, 2.3 apg, 44% 3pt fg), grad student Ryan Grandits (6.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg) junior guard/forward Jesse Lalka (4.8 ppg, 50% 3pt fg) and redshirt-freshman guard/forward Deion Hamilton (4.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg).

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA SCOUTING REPORT (8-9, 6-3 ECC): UDC enters Friday's game in the midst of an impressive turn-around this season, as the Firebirds have already eclipsed their overall and ECC win totals from a season ago (5-23, 5-15 ECC)...UDC's eight wins this season are the most for the program since going 22-6 and earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2011-12...leading the Firebirds' climb this season is third-year head coach Mike Riley, a former assistant coach at Georgetown University during the Hoyas' heyday in the Big East Conference...the Firebirds opened the season with just one win in their first seven outings, but got things rolling by embarking on a five-game winning streak in December...a 110-106 non-conference win over Apprentice kick-started the streak on Dec. 6...the Firebirds went on to add ECC victories over Roberts Wesleyan (90-77), Daemen (89-84), Molloy (79-70) and Queens (71-66) during the streak to start 4-0 in league play...but, UDC is just 2-3 since the New Year, suffering league losses to Bridgeport (75-70), St. Thomas Aquinas (76-71) and Mercy (94-84), while topping Dowling (92-82) and LIU Post (84-73)...Winter Storm Jonas, which rolled through the DC metro area last weekend, wreaked havoc on the Firebirds' schedule, causing a postponement, and later a cancellation of a scheduled league game with NYIT...as it stands, the Firebirds are coming off the win over LIU Post, but they will have gone nine days between games when squaring off with the Wildcats...UDC has been led this season by Kasim Chandler, a transfer from Division I Quinnipiac...Chandler is averaging a team-high 18.4 points per game which ranks third in the ECC...he's done considerable damage from the free throw line this season as he leads the league and ranks in the top-15 nationally in both free throws made (126) and attempted (152)...Chandler scored a season-high 39 points in the win over Apprentice, and has been held under 10 points just once this season...UDC is also getting double-figure scoring from Erin Senegal (15.0 ppg), Joseph Nickerson (12.4 ppg) and Jayone Troutman (12.3 ppg)...Senegal is the only player to start all 17 games this season, and he's the team's top threat from three-point range, ranking third in the ECC in made three-point field goals (49) and three-point field goal percentage (.458)...additional production is coming from Martin Campbell (9.4 ppg) and Geran Pope (8.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg)...the Firebirds, who allowed a league-worst 50.3-percent shooting last season, have improved to 44.2-percent so far this season, ranking second in the league...they lead the ECC in both steals (9.3) and blocked shots (5.1) per game, ranking 20th and 14th nationally, respectively, in those categories.

THE SERIES VS. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: Friday's game marks the sixth all-time meeting between Daemen and UDC...the Wildcats own a 4-1 lead in the all-time series...UDC snapped the Wildcats' four-game winning streak in the series with an 89-84 win at Lumsden Gymnasium last month...Kasim Chandler netted 21 points, nine of which came from the free throw line in the final 2:30 of the game...Torrence Dyck (26 pts, 11 rebs) and Arif Mehmetaj (24 pts) led Daemen in defeat...prior to the UDC win, it had been a one-sided rivalry with Daemen winning the four previous matchups by an average margin of 31.7 points and the Firebirds failing to hold Daemen under 92 points.

WILDCATS SWEEP WEEKLY HONORS: Daemen's Arif Mehmetaj and Deion Hamilton swept the weekly ECC honors for games played Jan. 19-24...Mehmetaj was named ECC Player of the Week after averaging 22 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 70-percent from the field in wins over Molloy and Queens...Mehmetaj narrowly missed a double-double vs. Molloy (19 pts, 9 rebs) and netted 25 points, one shy of his career-high, in the win over Queens...it was Mehmetaj's second selection as the league's Player of the Week this season, having previously earned the honor for games played Nov. 9-15...Hamilton was named ECC Rookie of the Week after scoring a career-high 14 points against Queens on perfect shooting from the field (5-for-5) and three-point range (3-for-3)...for the week, he averaged 11.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

INSTANT CLASSIC: Daemen emerged victorious earlier this month against thruway rival Roberts Wesleyan, defeating the host Redhawks 98-96 after trailing by 22 points (86-64) with 6:16 remaining in the second half...Torrence Dyck led a furious rally, scoring 18 of his career-high-tying 35 points in the final six minutes in which Daemen outscored RWC 34-10...employing a suffocating full-court press, the Wildcats held RWC without a field goal for exactly six minutes and forced six critical turnovers which aided the comeback efforts...greenhorn guard Jay Sarkis converted 3-of-4 free throws on consecutive possessions to give the Wildcats its first lead since the score was 8-6 early in the first half...a two-point Wildcat lead was temporarily erased following a layup by RWC's Zack Panebianco which knotted the count at 96-all with 16 seconds to play...that set the stage for Dyck who broke the tie with a game-winning drive and layup with just four seconds remaining, completing Daemen's improbable comeback win while playing in his hometown of Rochester...the win represented the Wildcats' ninth-straight in the series overall with RWC, and their ninth-straight at RWC's Voller Athletic Center...the Wildcats have prevailed in 16 of the last 17 meetings and own a 29-11 edge in the all-time series.

ON A ROLL: Daemen enters their lone game of the week riding a six-game winning streak with all six wins coming in ECC play...that gives Daemen the second-best streak at present among all East Coast Conference teams, behind St. Thomas Aquinas' eight-game string...the stretch started with a 94-81 home victory over Mercy on Jan. 9...the Wildcats followed that with three road wins, winning at Roberts Wesleyan (98-96), LIU Post (91-82) and NYIT (83-67), before returning home for wins over Molloy (81-64) and Queens (107-96)...looking over a broader stretch, Daemen is 10-3 in their last 13 games after opening the season with one win in their first four outings...offensive production has been the story for Daemen in the last 13 games as the Wildcats are averaging 87.5 points per game in that span, going over the 90-point mark on six occasions, including five since the dawn of the New Year...the three-straight 90-point games against Mercy, Roberts Wesleyan and LIU Post marked the Wildcats' first such streak since early January of 2014...Daemen is now 50-2 when topping 90 points since the start of the 2009-10 season.

DYCK SNAGS CONFERENCE AND NATIONAL HONORS: Senior guard/forward Torrence Dyck was named the East Coast Conference and U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Division II National Player of the Week after going on a scoring rampage in three Daemen wins during the week of Jan. 11-18...Dyck averaged 30.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game while leading the Wildcats road wins at Roberts Wesleyan, LIU Post and NYIT...the 6-foot-5 senior swingman matched his career-high with 35 points vs. RWC, and added 27 and 30 points, respectively against the Pioneers and Bears...the ECC Player of the Week selection was Dyck's second of the season, having previously earned the honor for games played Dec. 7-13...he also became the second Daemen player in as many years to garner USBWA Division II National Player of the Week honors, joining former Wildcat forward Gerald Beverly who picked up the honor for Jan. 5-11, 2015.

MORE DYCK: Following his recent scoring rampage, Torrence Dyck is now averaging an ECC-best 23.1 points per game this season...that also ranks second among all East Region players (the East Region is comprised of teams in the ECC, CACC and NE-10 Conference) and 15th nationally among all NCAA Division II players...the 6-foot-5 senior also leads in the ECC in field goals made (141) while ranking second in both free throws made (84) and attempted (126), and eighth in field goal percentage (.530)...he's scored in double figures in all but one game this season, including 13 games of at least 20 points...he has reached 30 points in three of his last six games, and now has five 30-point games in his two-year Daemen career...he's also averaging 24.6 points per game in Daemen's 11 wins this season...he's also contributing 5.8 rebounds and a team-best 41 total assists...in 40 career games for the Wildcats, Dyck has totaled 837 points (20.9 ppg)...with 10 games remaining in the regular season, he needs to average 16.3 points in those games to top 1,000 points and become just the fourth two-year player in team history to do so, and the first since Russell John totaled 1,061 points from 1990-92.

INJURY BUG: Daemen, which has already been without incumbent starting point guard Supreme Hannah since early December due to an injury, was dealt another major blow when starting shooting guard Nick Petrucelli went down in last Friday's game vs. Molloy with what appears to be a long-term injury...Petrucelli, who had been inserted into the starting lineup in mid-December in part because of the loss of Hannah, had given the Wildcats a viable third scoring option behind Torrence Dyck and Arif Mehmetaj, averaging 10.8 points per game on 46-percent shooting in his 12 games as a starter...if Hannah and Petrucelli wind up missing the remainder of the season, which is the most likely scenario, the Wildcats will have lost a combined 34 games from two of its top backcourt players who were combining to post 21.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.

FANTASTIC FROSH: As the season has progressed, we've seen coach Mike MacDonald increasingly turn to a trio of freshmen who have made impacts in their rookie seasons...6-foot-1 point guard Jay Sarkis has made 14 consecutive starts, the most starts for a Daemen freshman since Casey Sheehan made 21 during the 2010-11 season (ironically, both Sarkis and Sheehan are products of Greece Athena High School)...he's notched four double-figure scoring games, including a 15-point outing in a non-conference win over Dominican on Jan. 2, and for the season is averaging 7.2 points and 2.3 assists per game, while shooting 49-percent from the field and 44-percent from three-point range...6-foot-4 guard/forward Deion Hamilton, whose insertion into the starting lineup six games ago coincides with Daemen's recent winning streak, has increased his production of late...after playing a total of 44 minutes in the team's first 11 games, Hamilton has averaged 8.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots in 21.0 minutes per game since entering the top five of MacDonald's rotation...lastly, 6-foot-1 guard Darius Garvin was propelled into the starting lineup for the first time in last Sunday's win over Queens, filling in for the injured Nick Petrucelli...Garvin responded with 11 points and four assists in 33 minutes, by far his most extensive action of the season.

ECC TOURNEY HUNT: An early look at the race for the six ECC Tournament berths has Daemen in prime position with still 10 games remaining on the docket...Daemen currently sits in fourth place in the league standings, but the Wildcats are just one game back in the loss column from the three teams ahead of them...the ECC awards berths to the top six teams in the final regular season standings, with the top two seeds earning byes into the semifinal round...if the season ended today, Daemen would host the No. 5 seed which would ironically be their opponent this Friday, UDC...the ECC Tournament semifinals and finals will be played at UDC, regardless of the seeding earned by the participants...this season marks the first that Daemen is eligible to qualify for an ECC Tournament berth...Daemen was in position in each of the last two years to earn a berth had they been eligible.

20/20: Daemen has reached the 20-win plateau in each of the last four seasons (and nine times over the past 13 seasons).

DID YOU KNOW?: January has been a great month for the Wildcats in recent years...since the 2011-12 season, Daemen is 39-7 (.847 winning percentage) in January games...that includes a 23-5 road record (.821 winning percentage) in January games in that span...also, since joining the East Coast Conference in 2013-14, Daemen is 22-4 in January league games (.846 winning percentage).

WHAT'S NEXT: As the calendar turns to February, Daemen returns home to host Dowling (Friday, Feb. 5) and Bridgeport (Sunday, Feb. 7) in yet more key ECC games...for a full look at what lies ahead, check out the Wildcats' complete 2015-16 schedule.

FOLLOW THE WILDCATS: Follow Daemen College men's basketball on Twitter (@DaemenAthletics /@DaemenMBB) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/daemencollegeathletics /www.facebook.com/DaemenCollegeMensBasketball) to get live game updates and breaking news throughout the year.

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Players Mentioned

#55 Gerald Beverly: F; 6' 7"; Senior

#4 Torrence Dyck: G/F; 6' 5"; Senior

#3 Supreme Hannah: G; 6' 0"; Senior

#11 Jesse Lalka: G/F; 6' 2"; Junior

#21 Arif Mehmetaj: F; 6' 7"; Junior

#24 Nick Petrucelli: G; 6' 3"; Sophomore

#25 Deion Hamilton: G/F; 6' 4"; Redshirt Freshman

#32 Darius Garvin: G; 6' 1"; Freshman

#44 Ryan Grandits: F; 6' 5"; Graduate Student

#5 Jay Sarkis: G; 6' 1"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#55 Gerald Beverly
: 6' 7"; Senior
: F

#4 Torrence Dyck
: 6' 5"; Senior
: G/F

#3 Supreme Hannah
: 6' 0"; Senior
: G

#11 Jesse Lalka
: 6' 2"; Junior
: G/F

#21 Arif Mehmetaj
: 6' 7"; Junior
: F

#24 Nick Petrucelli
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: G

#25 Deion Hamilton
: 6' 4"; Redshirt Freshman
: G/F

#32 Darius Garvin
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: G

#44 Ryan Grandits
: 6' 5"; Graduate Student
: F

#5 Jay Sarkis
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: G