| THE LEAD |
| The Daemen College men's basketball team opens the 2016-17 regular season by hosting the ECC-CACC Challenge presented by Western New York Knee and Orthopedic Surgery PC...the four-team event features four games over two days between teams from the East Coast Conference and the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. |
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| TOURNAMENT INFORMATION & LINKS |
| ECC-CACC Challenge presented by Western New York Knee & Orthopedic Surgery PC - Tournament Central |
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Date:
Friday, November 11 |
Time:Â
6:00 p.m. |
Location:Â
Lumsden Gymnasium - Amherst, N.Y. |
| Roberts Wesleyan Roster |
Dominican Roster |
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| Roberts Wesleyan Schedule |
Dominican Schedule |
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| Roberts Wesleyan Stats (2015-16) |
Dominican Stats (2015-16) |
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| LIVE STATS |
LIVE VIDEO |
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Date:
Friday, November 11 |
Time:Â
8:00 p.m. |
Location:Â
Lumsden Gymnasium - Amherst, N.Y. |
| Daemen Roster |
Caldwell Roster |
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| Daemen Schedule |
Caldwell Schedule |
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| Daemen Stats (2015-16) |
Caldwell Stats (2015-16) |
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| LIVE STATS |
LIVE VIDEO |
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| Â Â Â Â VS Â Â Â |
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Date:
Saturday, November 12 |
Time:Â
2:00 p.m. |
Location:Â
Lumsden Gymnasium - Amherst, N.Y. |
| Caldwell Roster |
Roberts Wesleyan Roster |
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| Caldwell Schedule |
Roberts Wesleyan Schedule |
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| Caldwell Stats (2015-16) |
Roberts Wesleyan Stats (2015-16) |
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| LIVE STATS |
LIVE VIDEO |
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| Â Â Â Â VS Â Â Â |
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Date:
Saturday, November 12 |
Time:Â
4:00 p.m. |
Location:Â
Lumsden Gymnasium - Amherst, N.Y. |
| Daemen Roster |
Dominican Roster |
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| Daemen Schedule |
Dominican Schedule |
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| Daemen Stats (2015-16) |
Dominican Stats (2015-16) |
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| LIVE STATS |
LIVE VIDEO |
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| SOCIAL MEDIA |
| Daemen Twitter:Â |
@DaemenAthletics, @DaemenMBB |
| Daemen Hashtags:Â |
#DCWildcatNation, #WNYsD2Team, #LiveBreatheDaemen, #beFIERCE |
| Caldwell Twitter:Â |
@CaldwellCougars |
| Dominican Twitter: |
@ChargersofDC |
| Roberts Wesleyan Twitter: |
@RWCREDHAWKS |
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| RETURN OF THE MAC |
| Local hoops fixture Mike MacDonald returns to the bench for his third season as Daemen's head coach, and his 20th season overall as a collegiate head coach...in his first two seasons on the job, MacDonald has led the Wildcats to a 40-20 overall record...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...he followed that up by leading Daemen to a 19-10 record and the program's first-ever postseason berth at the NCAA Division II level, qualifying for and advancing to the finals of the East Coast Conference Tournament...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...the longtime bench boss opens the 2016-17 season with a career record of 296-246. |
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| DAEMEN SCOUTING REPORT (0-0, 0-0 ECC) |
| Daemen returns 12 players from its 2015-16 team which went 19-10 overall and 14-6 in East Coast Conference play, finishing second in the final regular season standings to earn the No. 2 seed in the ECC Tournament as the Wildcats made their first-ever postseason appearance at the NCAA Division II level...after receiving a bye into the semifinal round of the tourney, Daemen scored a wild 103-102 (OT) victory over sixth-seeded Mercy to advance to the ECC Tournament finals where their season came to an end with an 80-63 loss to top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas...for the second straight year, the Wildcats open the season after graduating one of the top players in team history...last year at this time, the Wildcats were learning about life without two-time ECC Defensive Player of the Year Gerald Beverly...this time around, the Wildcats are without 6-foot-5 wing Torrence Dyck who led the ECC in scoring last season (21.9 ppg)...among the team's returners are five players who started at least 12 games last season, and a sixth - redshirt-senior guard Supreme Hannah - who was limited to just four games last year after making 28 starts in 2014-15...the group of returners is headlined by redshirt-senior forward Arif Mehmetaj who earned second-team All-ECC honors last season after averaging 15.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game...Mehmetaj posted nine 20-point games and a team-best seven double-doubles last season while leading the team with 47 three-point field goals...he finished 12th in the league in scoring, 14th in rebounding and ninth in free throw percentage (80.2)...Hannah was averaging 11.5 points and 3.0 assists per game before he went down with a season-ending injury...he logged 33.4 minutes per game in 2014-15, averaging 10.5 points and 3.9 assists per game that season...junior guard Nick Petrucelli is also returning from a season-ending injury...he stepped into the starting lineup and produced 9.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in 16 appearances last season...redshirt-sophomore wing Deion Hamilton was a two-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection last season...he chipped in 8.0 points per game, including an average of 11.2 points in his 17 starts...among the team's new additions this season, redshirt-freshman Jeff Redband is expected to make an immediate impact...since joining the ECC for the 2013-14 season, Daemen has led the league in scoring twice in three seasons, including last year when they scored 84.9 points per game...the three-point shot and getting to the free throw line were key components last season...Daemen led the league in three-point field goal percentage (38.1) while ranking second in three-point field goals made per game (8.3)...they also led the league in free throws made per game (19.5), free throw attempts per game (26.7) and free throw percentage (73.0)...the Wildcats were picked fifth in the ECC preseason poll...Daemen is coming off a pair of exhibition losses to NCAA Division I opponents last week...Siena, one of the favorites in the MAAC this season, scored a 92-65 win over the Wildcats on Nov. 2...Daemen followed that up with an 87-82 overtime loss to the two-time defending MAC champs from Buffalo...Mehmetaj, Hamilton and senior guard Jaleo Wilkes all scored in double figures in both exhibition outings. |
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| CALDWELL SCOUTING REPORT (0-0, 0-0 CACC) |
| Caldwell is a member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference...the Cougars are led by longtime head coach Mark Corino who begins his 29th season at the helm...Corino has amassed a record of 435-372 while leading the Cougars to seven CACC regular-season championships and five CACC Tournament titles...the Cougars' roster features six returners from their 2015-16 team which went 9-17 overall and 7-12 in CACC play...nine of the 13 players on the roster are either freshmen or sophomores...gone from last season are the Cougars' top four scorers, making sophomore gaurd Ahmad Harrison the team's leading scorer among returners after averaging 5.3 points per game last season...Harrison appeared in all 26 games while making six starts and posting three double-figure scoring games...fellow sophomore Ned Ogoemesim also returns after logging 13.5 minutes per game and shooting 41-percent from three-point range (4.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg)...up front, 6-foot-7 sophomore forward Thomas Elliott-Smith is back after making 12 starts last year, posting averages of 3.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game...freshmen guards Zay Jennings, Daan Vianen and freshman forward Ruud Lutterman are among the newcomers expected to make an immediate impact for the Cougars...Caldwell was picked sixth in the CACC North Division preseason poll. |
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| DAEMEN VS. CALDWELL: THE HISTORY |
| All-Time: Daemen leads the series, 2-0 |
| Previous Meetings: |
| Jan. 15, 2000 - Daemen 78, Caldwell 62 |
(@ Daemen) |
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| Jan. 17, 1999 - Daemen 83, Caldwell 80 (OT) |
(@ Caldwell) |
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| DOMINICAN SCOUTING REPORT (0-0, 0-0 CACC) |
| Dominican, a member of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, is led by Joe Clinton who enters his 26th season on the Chargers' bench...in that time, Clinton has led the program to a record of 372-360, three CACC championships and four 20-win seasons...the Chargers bring back 10 players from their 2015-16 team which went 10-19 overall and 9-10 in the league...Dominican claimed the No. 4 seed out of the CACC North Division for the conference tourney last season, falling in the quarterfinal round to Holy Family, the No. 1 seed from the CACC South Division...among the returners are four of the team's top five scorers, including 6-foot-8 sophomore Gerrel Irvin who paced the Chargers with 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season...Irvin also ranked third among all CACC players in field goal percentage (.599)...also back is sophomore forward Sayon Charles (7.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg), senior guard Kristopher Hargraves (7.2 ppg, 2.7 apg, 1.7 spg) and sophomore forward Travis Cook (7.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg)...the Chargers were picked fourth in the CACC North Division preseason poll. |
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| DAEMEN VS. DOMINICAN: THE HISTORY |
| All-Time: Daemen leads the series, 2-1 |
| Previous Meetings: |
| Jan. 2, 2016 - Daemen 69, Dominican 60 |
(@ Dominican) |
GAME RECAP | BOX SCORE |
| Nov. 30, 2014 - Daemen 79, Dominican 72 |
(@ Daemen) |
GAME RECAP | BOX SCORE |
| Jan. 7, 2014 - Dominican 98, Daemen 93 (OT) |
(@ Dominican) |
GAME RECAP | BOX SCORE |
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| ROBERTS WESLEYAN SCOUTING REPORT (0-0, 0-0 ECC) |
| Roberts Wesleyan is a member of the East Coast Conference...the Redhawks are led by 15th-year head coach Rob McCoy, the longest tenured and most accomplished coach in team history with 172 wins under his belt...RWC returns six players from its 2015-16 roster which achieved an 8-18 overall record and a 5-15 mark in ECC play...gone from that team is do-it-all forward Tyrel Dixon, a third-team All-ECC pick last season, who ended a stellar four-year career with 1,435 points, 725 rebounds, 295 assists and 175 steals...among the returners are a pair of starters in sophomore guard Zack Panebianco and junior center Malik Dare, as well as sharp-shooting sub Quinn Carey...together, Panebianco and Carey made up the highest scoring freshmen tandem in the league last year, averaging 12.0 and 10.5 points per game, respectively....Carey led the team and ranked second in the ECC with 79 three-point field goals, while Panebianco knocked down 54 of his own...Dare, a 6-foot-5 wide-body, chipped in with 10.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last year...among the team's nine newcomers is junior guard Tristan Brown, a transfer from Dowling which shut its doors over the summer...Brown led the league in total assists (160) last season, while also ranking second in assists per game (5.9) and assist-turnover ratio (2.7), and fifth in total steals (54)...the Redhawks were picked 10th in the ECC preseason poll. |
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| ECC-CACC CHALLENGE: THE HISTORY |
| This weekend's event marks the third straight year that Daemen has hosted the ECC-CACC Challenge presented by WNY Knee and Orthopedic Surgery PC...the Wildcats are 3-1 all-time in the tournament...Daemen's three-game winning streak in the event was halted in the final game of last season's tourney as the Wildcats fell 89-86 to Holy Family...Daemen is averaging a point differential of 15.5 points per game in their four outings...Roberts Wesleyan is 1-3 all-time, while Caldwell and Dominican are making their first tournament appearances...get a complete tournament history including game results and individual records by clicking HERE. |
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| BULLISH EFFORTÂ |
| In last Friday's exhibition game vs. Division I Buffalo, Daemen led for more than 12 minutes in the second half before falling by five (87-82) in overtime...it marked the second time in the last three seasons that Division II Daemen has taken a Division I opponent to overtime in exhibition action...the last time ended in an 83-81 win in Mike MacDonald's Daemen debut which just happened to come in his return to the Koessler Athletic Center where he coached Canisius for 18 seasons, including nine as the head coach...this time around, redshirt-freshman Jeff Redband hit his sixth three-pointer with 26 ticks remaining to erase the Bulls' three-point lead and send the game to overtime...Redband finished with a team-high 22 points...in the overtime period, Darius Garvin hit a three-pointer with 1:15 left to pull the Wildcats within one (82-81) but, after a UB turnover, his go-ahead jumper attempt was off the mark, and the Bulls answered with an old-fashioned three-point play to essentially put the game out of reach...Deion Hamilton netted 16 points for the Wildcats, while Arif Mehmetaj and Jaleo Wilkes chipped in with 15 and 12 points, respectively. |
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| THE FRIENDLY CONFINES |
| Daemen opens the season at home for the 13th consecutive season...the Wildcats' last road season opener was on Oct. 24, 2003 vs. Brock...since 2011, Daemen is 56-8 at Lumsden Gymnasium (.875 winning percentage). |
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| GETTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT |
| Daemen has won 14 consecutive season openers dating back to the 2002-03 season...the wins in that span have come over 12 different opponents...the Wildcats defeated Fisher (Mass.) and Wilfrid Laurier (Ont.) twice in season openers during the streak...the Wildcats' average margin of victory during the streak is an astonishing 26.8 points per game...just one game - a 68-65 final over Toronto in 2011 - has been decided by single digits...Daemen has gone over 100 points in three of the last four season openers...the high-water mark came in 2013 when they downed Ohio Valley 111-90...last season opened with a 109-87 dispatching of Wilmington...Daemen's last loss in a season opener came at the Spring Hill College (Ala.) Tournament against the hosts on Nov. 2, 2001, falling 75-35. |
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| 20/20 |
| Daemen's 19-win season in 2015-16 snapped a string of four-straight 20-win seasons...the Wildcats have registered at least 20 wins nine times in the last 14 seasons...the high-water mark in that stretch was the Wildcats' 27-6 campaign in 2012-13 when they played an independent schedule while transitioning to NCAA Division II. |
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| BUILDING A PROGRAM |
| Since Daemen announced its intentions to transition to NCAA Division II back in 2011, and since joining the East Coast Conference in 2013, the Wildcats rank at or near the top of several categories with respect to games won... |
| Win Totals Of N.Y. State Division II Teams Since 2011 |
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Win Totals of Division II East Region Teams Since 2011 |
| 1. DAEMEN - 108 |
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1. Philadelphia - 110 |
| 2. LIU Post - 93 |
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2. DAEMEN - 108 |
| 3. Dominican - 83 |
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3. Southern Connecticut State - 107 |
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| League Win Totals Of East Coast Conference Teams Since 2013 |
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Overall Win Totals Of East Coast Conference Teams Since 2013 |
| T-1. DAEMEN - 44 |
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1. St. Thomas Aquinas - 63 |
| T-1. St. Thomas Aquinas - 44 |
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2. DAEMEN - 61 |
| 3. Bridgeport - 43 |
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3. Bridgeport - 57 |
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| DID YOU KNOW? |
| Since joining the East Coast Conference for the 2013-14 season, Daemen is 7-3 in games against Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference opponents...Daemen owns a +9.0 point differential per game in the 10 outings, three of which have been decided by five points or fewer. |
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| ON THE HORIZON |
| Daemen welcomes St. Edward's University to Lumsden Gymnasium for a 1 p.m. matinee on Saturday, November 19...the Hilltoppers are making the nearly 1,600-mile trek from their home in Austin, Texas. |
