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GAME #3: Daemen Wildcats (2-0, 0-0 ECC) vs. Mercyhurst Lakers (1-0, 0-0 PSAC)
Wednesday, Nov. 14 | 7 p.m. | Erie, Pa. | Mercyhurst Athletic Center
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Game Day
JUMP BALL
Daemen hits the road for the first time this season to play a non-conference contest against Mercyhurst. It marks the sixth straight season that Daemen and Mercyhurst will meet on the hardwood. The Wildcats are off to their seventh 2-0 start in the last nine seasons after sweeping Caldwell (75-60) and Nyack (83-72) last weekend at the ECC-CACC Challenge hosted at Lumsden Gymnasium. They'll be seeking just their third 3-0 start in that same span on Wednesday. Mercyhurst is 1-0 after dismantling Division III Fredonia (95-36) in their season opener last week. The Lakers have proved to be a bugaboo for Daemen over the years, winning eight of the nine all-time meetings.
RETURN OF THE MAC
Mike MacDonald returns to the bench for his fifth season as Daemen's head coach, and his 22nd season overall as a collegiate head coach. In his first four seasons roaming the Daemen sidelines, MacDonald has led the Wildcats to an 81-37 overall record. The Wildcats have won at least 19 games in each of MacDonald's three seasons, and the team's 87 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 powerhouse, 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 2018-19 season with a career record of 337-263.
TOP 25 RANKING
Daemen is ranked No. 22 in the Division II Bulletin preseason poll. It marks the first time in the program's Division II era that they've been included in any of the several national polls. Division II Bulletin is a national publication that specializes in the coverage of NCAA Division II men's basketball. The Wildcats are also receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) preseason national polls. Daemen is ranked in tie for the third in the first D2SIDA regional poll of the season which was released earlier this week.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Redshirt sophomore center Andrew Sischo headlines Daemen's returning players. After earning first team All-ECC and ECC Rookie of the Year honors last season, Sischo was named the ECC Preseason Player of the Year for 2018-19. An eight-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection in 2017-18, Sischo was downright dominant on the interior last season as he led the team in points (462), points per game (15.4), made field goals (195), field goal percentage (56.5%), rebounds (261), rebounds per game (8.7) and blocked shots (25). His point total established a new team record for scoring by a freshman, eclipsing the previous mark of 420 set by Brian Montanaro during the 2002-03 season. He was also the first Daemen player with more than 200 rebounds in a season since Gerald Beverly (373 in 2014-15), and his rebound total is second among freshmen players in team history. Appearing in all 30 games, Sischo reached double-figure scoring 25 times and totaled seven double-doubles. Sischo led all ECC freshmen and ranked among the league's overall leaders in scoring (seventh), rebounding (second) and field goal percentage (third). He was Daemen's first major award winner from the conference since Beverly earned ECC Defensive Player of the Year honors for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, and the first freshman to earn first team All-ECC honors since John Petrucelli of Molloy College in the 2010-11 season. To start the 2018-19 campaign, Sischo was named to the ECC-CACC Challenge all-tournament team and the ECC Player of the Week after posting back-to-back double-doubles in wins over Caldwell and Nyack. He averaged 22.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in the tournament.
BREAKOUT BREON
Junior guard Breon Harris enjoyed a breakout season in 2017-18, helping Daemen to wins in 16 of 18 games after he was inserted into the starting lineup. After producing just 3.1 points on 31.8 percent shooting while coming off the bench in the team's first 11 games, Harris contributed 13.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game, while shooting 51.4 percent from the field as a starter. After totaling just just three three-pointers in the first 21 games of his career, Harris has made at least one in 18 of the last 19 games (27 total three-point field goals in that span). A third team All-ECC and ECC All-Tournament Team selection, Harris finished the 2017-18 season averaging 9.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game. He finished second in the ECC in total steals with 70, becoming the first Daemen player with more than 60 steals in a season since Casey Sheehan (68) during the 2012-13 campaign. Harris opened the 2018-19 season by earning MVP honors at the ECC-CACC Challenge where he averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists while leading Daemen to wins over Caldwell and Nyack.
GARV-ELOUS
Daemen has become reliant on the steady play of senior guard Darius Garvin who has appeared in 88 of a possible 89 games while making 71 starts in his career. Each season he's increased his statistical impact on the team, and he was voted as the team's MVP by his teammates in 2017-18. Only fellow backcourt mate Jay Sarkis logged more minutes than Garvin's 1,022 last season. He finished the year averaging 9.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Garvin was one of only two players in the ECC to record double-figure points, rebounds and assists at some point during last season. Daemen was 12-3 last season and 22-6 since the start of the 2015-16 season when Garvin scores 10 or more points in a game.
THREE-DICULOUS
Over the last two seasons, forward Jeff Redband has established himself as one of the preeminent three-point shooters in the ECC. In the 2016-17 season, Redband canned 68-of-151 three-point attempts becoming the first Daemen freshman with more than 50 triples since Brian Montanaro's 70 in 2002-03. He followed that up by shooting 69-for-169 from deep last season, becoming the first Daemen player with 60 or more three-pointers in back-to-back seasons since Montanaro did so in four straight seasons from 2002-06. A third team All-ECC pick in 2017-18, Redband averaged 11.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, while finishing third in three-point field goals and sixth in three-point shooting percentage among the ECC leaders. Redband currently ranks eighth in team history with 143 three-point field goals. He is off to a fast start this season, averaging 15.5 points per game while shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 60 percent from three-point range. He was named to the ECC-CACC Challenge all-tournament team after helping Daemen pick up wins over Caldwell and Nyack.
SHINING STAR-KIS
Guard Jay Sarkis made a successful return to the lineup last season after missing all of the 2016-17 campaign with an injury. Sarkis, who quarterbacked the Wildcats to an appearance in the ECC Tournament finals as a freshman in 2015-16, 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 that season. In 30 games last season, Sarkis produced 12.5 points and a team-best 3.6 assists per game and earned third team All-ECC honors. Sarkis finished the season ranking among the ECC leaders in total minutes (1,057 - 3rd), minutes per game (35.2 - 5th), three-point field goal percentage (42.5 - 5th), three-point field goals (68 - 4th), total assists (106 - 3rd) and assists per game (3.5 - 6th).
THE HAMILTON PRODUCTION
Redshirt senior guard/forward Deion Hamilton returns to the lineup after missing the final 20 games of the 2017-18 season. The 6-foot-4 slasher provides another viable scoring option for the Wildcats with a career scoring average of 10.9 points per game. Hamilton was leading the team in scoring (15.1 ppg) through the first 10 games last season, while also chipping in 4.2 rebounds per game. He's also been a two-time All-Tournament Team pick at the season-opening ECC-CACC Challenge. Daemen is 17-6 since the start of the 2016-17 season when Hamilton shoots 50 percent or better from the field. He's averaging 11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and a team-high 5.0 assists through the first two games of the 2018-19 season.
STARTING 1-0
Daemen's 75-60 win over Caldwell on Nov. 9 extended their winning streak in season openers to 17, a streak that dates back to the 2002-03 season. The wins in that span have come over 14 different opponents. Fisher (Mass.), Wilfrid Laurier (Ont.) and Caldwell 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 23.8 points per game; in the team's six season openers since beginning to play a full Division II schedule, the average margin of victory is 18.2 points per game. Just two games - a 68-65 final over Toronto in 2011, and a 62-57 final over Felician in 2017 - have been decided by single digits. Daemen has gone over 100 points in three of the last seven season openers; the high-water mark came in 2013 when they downed Ohio Valley 111-90. 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.
ECC-CACC CHALLENGE HISTORY
Last weekend's event marks the fifth straight year that Daemen has hosted the ECC-CACC Challenge presented by WNY Knee and Orthopedic Surgery PC. The Wildcats are 9-1 all-time in the tournament, and they hold a six-game winning streak following wins over Caldwell and Nyack. Daemen's lone loss in the event came on Nov. 14, 2015 to a Holy Family team that went on to win the CACC championship that season. Daemen is averaging a point differential of 13.3 points per game in their 10 ECC-CACC Challenge outings.
DEFENDING THE DEN
Daemen posted a 12-3 record at the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium last season, reaching double-figure home wins for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. Since the start of the 2011-12 season, Daemen is 84-13 at Lumsden Gymnasium (.866 winning percentage).
MERCYHURST SCOUTING REPORT
Mercyhurst is a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, and the Lakers are led by longtime head coach Gary Manchel. Now in his 16th season with the program, Manchel has guided the Lakers to a 251-173 record, 13 conference tournament appearances and a pair of NCAA tournament berths. Six times in his tenure, Manchel has led the Lakers to a top-10 defensive ranking in NCAA Division II, including last season when they ranked 10th by allowing just 65.5 points per game. The Lakers return seven players, including two starters, from their 2017-18 team that went 13-14 overall and 10-12 in PSAC play. Senior forward Patrick Smith (8.9 ppg, 7.9 rpg in 2017-18) and sophomore guard Derrick Ellis, Jr. (7.3 ppg, 3.6 apg) are the lone returning starters. Mercyhurst dispatched of Division III Fredonia in their season opener last week, winning 95-36. A quintet of players reached double-figure scoring, led by the 17 points of newcomer Jason Massey, a 6-foot-4 guard who transferred after playing in 84 games over the last three seasons for Division I Brown.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Mercyhurst: 1-8
Streak: Lost 4
Last Meeting: Mercyhurst 69, Daemen 55 | Nov. 14, 2017 | Amherst, N.Y.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Daemen is 4-6 in games against PSAC opponents since Mike MacDonald took the reins of the program beginning with the 2014-15 season. All four of the wins have come in the last seven matchups.
UP NEXT
Daemen returns home for another matchup with a PSAC opponent as Slippery Rock comes to Lumsden Gymnasium for a 2 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, Nov. 24.
