D2SIDA MEN'S BASKETBALL EAST REGION MEDIA POLL WEEK 5 - DECEMBER 10, 2018
Rank	School	Pts.	Record	Previous
1.	St. Anselm (6)	60	8-0	1
2.	St. Thomas Aquinas	52	8-1	3
3.	Bentley	50	8-1	2
4.	DAEMEN	42	5-1	5
5.	Le Moyne	35	6-3	8
6.	Pace	26	7-3	9
7.	New Haven	19	5-3	4
8.	Bridgeport	18	5-3	6
9.	Dominican	15	5-2	RV
10.	Stonehill	9	7-4	NR
( ) - denotes first-place votes

AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College men's basketball team is ranked fourth in the NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region media poll for week five of the 2018-19 season which was released this morning. 

Daemen (5-1, 1-0 ECC) earned 42 points in the poll voting, raising one position after being ranked fifth last week. It marks the third straight week that the Wildcats have ascended in the poll. Daemen debuted in the poll in a tie for third on Nov. 12 before falling to seventh the following week.  

Saint Anselm College is the unanimous pick atop the poll, receiving all six available first-place votes and 60 points. The Hawks, who visit Daemen for a non-conference game later this season, are ranked first for the fifth consecutive week. St. Thomas Aquinas College (52 points) and Bentley University (50 points) swapped positions this week, coming in second and third, respectively. 

After Daemen, Le Moyne College (35 points) rounds out the top five. The Dolphins, along with fellow Northeast-10 Conference member Pace University (No. 6, 26 points) were the biggest movers in the poll this week as each raised three spots. 

After suffering their first loss of the season at Mercyhurst University on Nov. 14, Daemen has responded with three straight wins, knocking off Slippery Rock University (78-71 on Nov. 24), Lake Erie College (71-51 on Nov. 26) and most recently Roberts Wesleyan College (78-70 on Dec. 5). The first two of the Wildcats' recent wins came at the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium where Daemen has won eight straight contests dating back to last year (perfect 4-0 this season). Last week's defeat of long-time rival RWC was of the come-from-behind variety as the Wildcats outscored the Redhawks 20-7 in the final five-and-a-half minutes to erase a six-point deficit. Daemen has now won 16 consecutive and 23 of the last 24 meetings with the Redhawks.

The Wildcats feature four players who are averaging at least 10 points per game. That group is headlined by redshirt sophomore center Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.), the 2018-19 East Coast Conference Preseason Player of the Year. Sischo has recorded double-doubles in all six games this season, and is producing 24.0 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. He currently ranks first in rebounding, third in total double-doubles and eighth in scoring among the national leaders for Division II. Sischo erupted for season-highs of 32 points and 18 rebounds in last week's win over Roberts Wesleyan.

Deion Hamilton (Rochester, N.Y.), Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.) and Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) are also producing for head coach Mike MacDonald. Hamilton poured in a season-high 24 points against the Redhawks, 11 of which came in Daemen's game-closing run. He is contributing 14.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while also leading the team in assists (21) and steals (12). Redband is shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from three-point range with a team-high 15 three-pointers. He is contributing 14.3 points per game and recently became just the seventh player in team history to reach 150 three-point field goals in a career. Harris has reached double figures in four of six games this season, and is producing 10.7 points per game.

The early season success has come despite the Wildcats being hit hard by the injury bug. Redshirt junior guard Jay Sarkis (Rochester, N.Y.) has missed all but 11 minutes. He entered the season having made 56 starts over his first two collegiate seasons. Redshirt senior guard Nick Petrucelli (Hicksville, N.Y.) has been out since mid-November, and may be lost for the season. Senior guard Darius Garvin (Elmira, N.Y.) missed the game at Mercyhurst, and has exited two additional games with injuries. 

With 13 returning players off last season's 22-8 team, expectations are high for MacDonald's club at the season's outset. The Wildcats were picked second in the ECC preseason poll, and 22nd in the Division II Bulletin preseason national poll, while also receiving top-25 votes in both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and D2SIDA preseason national polls. 

Daemen returns to action this weekend when they travel to Long Island for ECC contests at Long Island University Post (Friday, Dec. 14) and New York Institute of Technology (Sunday, Dec. 16). 

The East Region of NCAA Division II is comprised of teams from the East Coast Conference, the Northeast-10 Conference and the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, and the East Region media poll is voted on by sports information professionals from around the region.

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