GAME INFORMATION
Daemen Wildcats (3-1, 0-0 ECC) vs. Slippery Rock The Rock (3-2, 0-2 PSAC
Sunday, Nov. 26 | 2 p.m. | Slippery Rock, Pa. | Morrow Field House
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RETURN OF THE MAC
Mike MacDonald returns to the bench for his fourth season as Daemen's head coach, and his 21st season overall as a collegiate head coach...in his first three seasons roaming the Daemen sidelines, MacDonald has led the Wildcats to a 59-29 overall record...the Wildcats have won at least 19 games in each of MacDonald's three seasons, and the team's 59 victories in that span are the second most among all NCAA Division II programs in New York State...before coming to 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 2017-18 season with a career record of 315-255.
THE GRADUATES
Daemen must cope with the graduation of five seniors from their 2016-17 team who played in a role in the team's 80 wins over the last four seasons. Gone are starters Arif Mehmetaj, Supreme Hannah and Jesse Lalka, as well as key reserves Jaleo Wilkes and Alex Borges. Mehmetaj, a 6-foot-7 forward, earned second-team All-ECC honors for the second-straight season after leading Daemen in scoring (15.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.2 rpg). Hannah, a 6-foot guard, had his finest collegiate season, averaging 13.9 points per game en route to third-team All-ECC honors.
HAM IT UP
Redshirt junior guard/forward Deion Hamilton headlines Daemen's returning players. Hamilton established himself as one the premier 6th men in the ECC last season, averaging 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while leading Daemen in field goal percentage (.514). After posting nine double-figure scoring games in his redshirt freshman season, Hamilton erupted for 21 such outings last year, and Daemen went 14-2 in games that Hamilton shot 50 percent or better from the field. A former two-time MVP of the Section V Class A Tournament while at Greece Athena High School, Hamilton figures to move into an even more prominent role for the Wildcats this season.
REDBAND FOR THREE
Redshirt sophomore forward Jeff Redband established himself as one of the preeminent three-point shooters in the ECC last season. For the season, Redband canned 68-of-151 three-point attempts becoming the first Daemen freshman with more than 50 triples since Brian Montanaro had 70 in 2002-03. A four-time ECC Rookie of the Week honoree, Redband ranked third among all ECC players in total three-point baskets, and fifth in three-point field percentage (.450). He made at least one three-pointer in 23 games, and knocked down multiple threes in 17 contests. Appearing in all 28 games while making 27 starts, Redband contributed 10.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.
BACKCOURT HELP
The Daemen backcourt will get a boost with the return of Jay Sarkis and Nick Petrucelli, both of whom missed the entire 2016-17 season with injuries. Sarkis, a 6-foot-1 redshirt sophomore, quarterbacked the Wildcats to an appearance in the ECC Tournament finals as a freshman in 2015-16. That season, Sarkis was a four-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection as he appeared in all 29 games while making 26 starts, and averaging 8.5 points and 2.3 assists per game. Petrucelli, a 6-foot-3 redshirt junior, returns to the lineup for the first time since January 2016. A player with 45 collegiate games (15 starts) under his belt, Petrucelli was avaeraging a career-best 9.9 points per game in 2015-16 before being forced from the lineup with an injury.
GARV-ELOUS
With injuries to key backcourt players in each of the last two seasons, Daemen has become reliant on the steady play of junior guard Darius Garvin who appeared in 58 of a possible 59 games while making 40 starts in his freshman and sophomore seasons. Last season, Garvin upped his statistical numbers in nearly every category, including minutes per game (from 17.9 as a freshman to 27.4 as a sophomore), points per game (from 4.8 to 7.6), rebounds per game (from 2.8 to 4.4) and assists per game (from 1.1 to 1.8).
STARTING 1-0
Daemen's season-opening 62-57 win over Felician at the ECC-CACC Challenge was the Wildcats' 16th consecutive win in a regular season opener, a streak that dates back to the 2002-03 season. The wins in that span have come over 14 different opponents. Fisher (Mass.) and Wilfrid Laurier (Ont.) are the only opponents Daemen has defeated twice in season openers during the streak. The Wildcats' average margin of victory during the streak is an astonishing 24.4 points per game. The five-point win over Felician was Daemen's closest margin of victory in a season opener since beginning to play a full Division II schedule; the Wildcats' average margin of victory in the four previous season openers as a Division II institution was 22.3 points per game. Just one game in the streak prior to the win over Felician - a 68-65 final over Toronto in 2011 - had been decided by single digits. Daemen has gone over 100 points in three of the last six season openers; the high-water mark came in 2013 when they downed Ohio Valley 111-90. Last season opened with a 75-64 dispatching of Caldwell which put the Wildcats en route to their first 5-0 start to a season since 2012-13. 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.
FAST START
Daemen's 78-60 win over Nyack at the ECC-CACC Challenge gave the Wildcats their sixth 2-0 start in the last eight seasons. Deion Hamilton scored 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and earned tournament MVP honors. He was joined on the all-tournament team by redshirt senior forward Aleks Miljenovic and redshirt freshman center Andrew Sischo. Miljenovic, who was also an all-tournament team selection last season, led Daemen with 16 points and nine rebounds in the season-opening win over Felician, and he posted 11 points and seven boards in the win ver Nyack. Sischo played just 19 total minutes but reached double figures in each contest.
DAEMEN WINS BATTLE OF WILDCATS
Daemen is coming off a 79-73 win over the Wilmington Wildcats last Saturday, Nov. 18 at Lumsden Gymnasium. Jay Sarkis (career-high 20 points) and Andrew Sischo (career-high 17 points) combined for 37 points to lead the home-standing Wildcats in a game that featured 10 ties and 13 lead changes.
DEFENDING THE DEN
Daemen posted a 14-2 record at the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium last season, matching the program record for home wins in a season last achieved in 1999-2000. Since the start of the 2011-12 season, Daemen is 73-11 at Lumsden Gymnasium (.869 winning percentage).
SLIPPERY ROCK SCOUTING REPORT
Slippery Rock is a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, and The Rock are led by head coach Kevin Reynolds who is now in his 10th season at the helm. After assuming control of a program that had just 99 wins from 1994-2008, Reynolds has guided The Rock to a 170-102 mark and five 20-win seasons in his tenure. The Rock return just four players, including three starters, from last season's squad that posted a 14-15 overall record and a 10-12 mark in PSAC play. Incumbent starters Merdic Green (10.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg), Khyree Wooten (8.7 ppg) and Christal Malalu (7.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg) headline the team's returners. SRU was picked fourth in the PSAC West Division preseason poll. The Rock are coming off a 79-70 victory over District of Columbia this past Tuesday, Nov. 21. The win snapped a two-game losing streak which included a three-point home loss to nationally-ranked Shippensburg. Newcomer Micah Till, a 6-foot-7 forward, has made an immediate impact, averaging team-highs of 21.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Till played one year of Division I football at North Carolina State before transferring to Harford Community College last year to pursue a collegiate basketball career. Till has posted three double-doubles this season, including a 26-point, 10-rebound effort in the win over UDC. Fellow newcomers Bruce Spruell (12.8 ppg) and Aaron McDonald (12.4 ppg) are also scoring in double figures for The Rock.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Slippery Rock: 1-1
Streak: Won 1
Last Meeting: Daemen 69, Slippery Rock 57 | Nov. 25, 2016 | Amherst, N.Y.
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PSAC PESTS
Since the 2008-09 season, Daemen is just 5-8 against PSAC opponents. Wins in that stretch have come over Gannon, Mercyhurst, Edinboro (twice) and Slippery Rock.
DID YOU KNOW?
Since the 2011-12 season, Daemen is 25-14 in non-conference games played in the month of November, including an 8-11 mark on the road. Daemen has won just one of their last seven non-conference road games dating back to the 2013-14 season.
UP NEXT
Daemen returns to the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium to host Edinboro on Tuesday, Nov. 28.
