Quinn Lee Yaw is leading the ECC in field goal percentage

Wildcats Ranked Fourth In Latest D2SIDA Regional Poll

12/20/2018 10:56:00 AM

By: By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

D2SIDA MEN'S BASKETBALL EAST REGION MEDIA POLL WEEK 6 - DECEMBER 20, 2018
Rank	School	Pts.	Record	Previous
1.	St. Anselm (6)	60	9-0	1
2.	St. Thomas Aquinas	53	9-1	2
3.	Bentley	49	10-1	3
4.	DAEMEN	42	7-1	4
5.	Pace	34	9-3	6
6.	Dominican	28	7-2	9
7.	Le Moyne	24	7-4	5
8.	Stonehill	20	8-4	10
9.	Molloy	14	8-3	NR
10.	Southern Connecticut St.	5	7-5	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 six of the 2018-19 season which was released this morning.

Daemen (7-1, 3-0 ECC) earned 42 points in the poll voting to remain steady at No. 4. There was no movement among the top four teams from last week's poll. 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 on Jan. 2, are ranked first for the sixth consecutive week. St. Thomas Aquinas College (53 points) and Bentley University (49 points) are ranked second and third, respectively.

Daemen has won five straight games, most recently sweeping last weekend's road trip with convincing victories over Long Island University Post (102-70 on Dec. 14) and New York Institute of Technology (98-72 on Dec. 16). The results extended Daemen's winning streak in East Coast Conference road games to 10. The Wildcats have won 24 of their last 27 games dating back to last season.

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.) has missed three complete games and has exited two more with injuries. Most recently, redshirt sophomore center Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) was forced out of the win at NYIT by an injury. Sarkis, Garvin and Sischo may be ready to make their returns after the NCAA-mandated holiday break.

The Wildcats feature four players who are averaging at least 10 points per game. That group is headlined by Sischo, the 2018-19 East Coast Conference Preseason Player of the Year. Sischo recorded double-doubles in the first six games this season, and is producing 21.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. He currently ranks among the Division II national leaders in scoring (29th), rebounding (fifth), field goal percentage (31st) and double-doubles (eighth). Sischo erupted for season-highs of 32 points and 18 rebounds on Dec. 5 while leading the Wildcats to their 16th straight win over rival Roberts Wesleyan College.

Jeff Redband (Batavia, N.Y.), Deion Hamilton (Rochester, N.Y.) and Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) are also producing for head coach Mike MacDonald. Redband has continued his assault from behind the three-point arc, shooting 47.8 percent with a team-high 22 triples. He's reached double figures in seven games, and is contributing 14.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Hamilton poured in a season-high 24 points against Roberts Wesleyan, 11 of which came in a game-closing 20-7 run that keyed the victory. He is averaging 13.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while also leading the team in assists (28) and steals (12). Harris scored a season-high 22 points in the win over NYIT, and is producing 12.1 points per game. He's made multiple three-pointers in six games this season, including a career-best five against NYIT.

The Wildcats are also getting solid minutes from redshirt senior forward Quinn Lee Yaw (Jamestown, N.Y.) who is shooting 66 percent from the field, best in the ECC at the moment. Lee Yaw is seeing his most extensive action since the 2015-16 season when he played at Edinboro University. He's producing 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, and is coming off a 21-point, nine-rebound outing at NYIT.

With 13 returning players off last season's 22-8 team, expectations were 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 will return to action Dec. 29 when they host a non-conference contest against St. Michael's College. It'll mark the first of three home games between Dec. 29 and Jan. 2. Looking at the bigger picture, Daemen will play 12 games between Dec. 29 and Jan. 31, eight of which come at the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium where Daemen has won eight straight games and posted an 86-13 record since the start of the 2011-12 season.

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. Today's D2SIDA East Region media poll marks the final regional ranking of the 2018 calendar year. The poll will return on Monday, Jan. 7.

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