| DAEMEN SCOUTING REPORT |
| RECORD: |
18-9, 14-6 ECC
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| TOURNAMENT SEED: |
No. 2
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| COACH: |
Mike MacDonald
Career Record: 295-245, 19 seasons (.546 winning percentage)
At Daemen: 39-19, 2 seasons (.672 winning percentage)
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| LINKS: |
Roster | Schedule | Stats
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| PRESEASON POLL: |
Daemen was picked fourth in the ECC preseason poll released in late October
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HOW THEY GOT HERE: | - Daemen returns nine players from last year's team that posted a 21-10 overall record and a 13-7 mark in ECC play 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
- After gaining just one win in their first four games of this season, Daemen has posted a 17-6 record since mid-December, dating back to an 88-79 non-league win over Edinboro on Dec. 12
- Included in that span was a season-best nine-game winning streak which spanned from Jan. 9 through Feb. 7 before eventual ECC regular season champ St. Thomas Aquinas snapped the string on Feb. 11
- The Wildcats are coming off a split of their final two regular season games last weekend, defeating Molloy (76-74) on Feb. 26 before falling to Queens (71-56) in the regular season finale on Feb. 28
- Daemen has been ranked in the last three D2SIDA East Region media polls of the regular season, most recently ranked 10th in the poll released on Feb. 22
- Offensive production has been at the forefront as Daemen leads the ECC in scoring at 85.0 points per game
- The three-point shot has been big for the Wildcats all season as they rank third in the league in three-point field goals (223) and first in three-point field goal percentage (.381)
- Daemen also leads the league in free throws made (522) and attempted (719)
- Daemen's success this season has come despite being hit by a significant injury bug as starters Supreme Hannah and Nick Petrucelli have each missed significant time and both have been ruled out for the remainder of the season
- Daemen has been led all season by 6-foot-5 senior guard/forward Torrence Dyck who has posted four 30-point games this season
- Dyck leads the ECC in scoring at 21.8 points per game, and is adding 6.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game to lead the team in both categories
- Dyck is a two-time ECC Player of the Week, as is junior forward Arif Mehmetaj who is averaging 15.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game with a team-high 41 three-pointers
- Additional production is coming from freshmen Jay Sarkis (8.5 ppg, 46% 3pt fg), Deion Hamilton (7.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Darius Garvin (4.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg) who round out the Wildcats' starting lineup
- Sarkis is a four-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection, while Hamilton has earned the distinction twice
- Off the bench, grad student Ryan Grandits (7.6 ppg) is averaging 10.6 points per game while shooting 56-percent from the field over the last seven games, and junior Jesse Lalka ended the regular season as the league leader in three-point field goal percentage (.500)
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| PROJECTED STARTERS: |
G - Jay Sarkis (6-1, Fr., Rochester, N.Y.)
| 8.5 ppg, 2.3 apg, .468 fg%, .457 3pt% |
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G - Darius Garvin (6-1, Fr., Elmira, N.Y.)
| 4.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg, .453 fg%, .333 3pt% |
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G/F - Torrence Dyck (6-5, Sr., Rochester, N.Y.)
| 21.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.0 apg, .489 fg%, .315 3pt% |
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G/F - Deion Hamilton (6-4, R-Fr., Rochester, N.Y.)
| 7.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, .481 fg%, .327 3pt% |
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F - Arif Mehmetaj (6-7, Jr., Jamaica, N.Y.)
| 15.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, .469 fg%, .427 3pf% |
| OFF THE BENCH: |
F - Ryan Grandits (6-5, Gr., Kenmore, N.Y.)
| 7.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, .433 fg%, .476 3pt% |
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G - Jaleo Wilkes (5-10, Jr., Niagara Falls, N.Y.)
| 5.1 ppg, 1.4 apg, .398 fg%, .263 3pt% |
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G/F - Jesse Lalka (6-2, Jr., Tonawanda, N.Y.)
| 4.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg, .442 fg%, .500 3pt% |
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MERCY: | - Saturday's game marks the seventh all-time meeting between the Wildcats and Mavericks (first post-season) which dates back to Daemen's inaugural season of ECC membership in 2013-14
- Daemen owns an unblemished 6-0 lead in the all-time series, winning by an average margin of 12.2 points per game
- Daemen swept the regular-season series this year with a 94-81 win at Lumsden Gymnasium on Jan. 9, and a 100-86 victory at Mercy Gymnasium on Feb. 13
- Torrence Dyck netted 30 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, including 5-of-6 from three-point range, in the home-court victory
- In the meeting in Dobbs Ferry, Dyck netted 19 points and Deion Hamilton added 18 in the 14-point Wildcat win
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ALL-TIME SERIES VS. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS: | - St. Thomas Aquinas has won four-straight meetings with Daemen and owns a 5-2 edge in the all-time series which dates back to a 55-53 STAC win on Jan. 28, 2000
- Daemen swept the season series in their first year of ECC membership (2013-14), but STAC has rebounded with series sweeps in each of the last two years
- STAC has dominated the two meetings this season, winning 85-66 at Lumsden Gymnasium on Jan. 7 and 86-62 at Aquinas Hall on Feb. 11
- Justin Reyes scored 25 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in the win in Amherst which came despite 27 points from Daemen's Torrence Dyck
- Reyes and James Mitchell split 30 points in a balanced STAC effort in their home-court victory
- Daemen's last win in the series came on Jan. 24, 2014, a 69-65 triumph at home behind the effort of Gerald Beverly (15 points, 10 rebounds, nine blocks)
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ALL-TIME SERIES VS. LIU POST: | - Daemen and LIU Post have met seven times with the Pioneers holding a slim 4-3 lead in the all-time series
- The teams have split the season series in each of the last three seasons
- Daemen registered a 91-82 win at Pratt Recreation Center on Jan. 15 to hand the Pioneers their first league loss of this season
- Torrence Dyck scored 27 points and grabbed eight boards to lead Daemen to victory
- LIU Post rebounded with an 88-76 win at Lumsden Gymnasium on Feb. 19 - their first-ever win in Amherst
- Greg Dotson shot 9-of-14 from the field and totaled 23 points in the Pioneers' win
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| SOCIAL MEDIA: |
@DaemenMBB | @DaemenAthletics | #DCWildcatNation | #WNYsD2Team | #roaD2nationals
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