GAME INFORMATION
Game No. 27
Daemen Wildcats (19-7, 13-3 ECC) vs. LIU Post Pioneers (10-16, 8-8 ECC)
Friday, Feb. 23 |  7 p.m. 
Brookville, N.Y. |  Pratt Recreation Center

Game No. 28
Daemen Wildcats (19-7, 13-3 ECC) vs. NYIT Bears (4-24, 2-14 ECC)
Sunday, Feb. 25 |  3:30 p.m. 
Amherst, N.Y. |  Lumsden Gymnasium

GAME LINKS - VS. LIU POST
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GAME LINKS - VS. NYIT
Live Stats
Watch Live on the ECC Network
Game Day

JUMP BALL
Winners in five straight and 14 of their last 15 games, Daemen closes the regular season with road games vs. LIU Post and NYIT. A pair of wins this weekend would put Daemen into no worse than a tie for second place in the conference standings, depending on the results of St. Thomas Aquinas' (23-6, 14-3 ECC) game against District of Columbia on Saturday. Should the Wildcats and Spartans end up tied after winning all remaining games this weekend, a coin flip will determine the two teams' conference tournament seeds; the No. 2 seed receives a bye into the semifinal round, while the No. 3 seed will host a first round game on Wednesday, Feb. 28. Friday's opponent, LIU Post, has already clinched a conference tournament berth. The Pioneers can lock up the No. 4 seed with a win Friday and a loss by Roberts Wesleyan at NYIT. Sunday's opponent, NYIT, will be missing the conference tournament for the fourth time in the last five seasons. 

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 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 opened the 2017-18 season with a career record of 315-255.

IT'S A HARDWOOD LIFE
Mike MacDonald and his family were recently profiled in a USA Today article which detailed the family's love affair with basketball, and the intricacies of having the husband/father coaching collegiately and four sons who play the game, including two at the college level. Written by Buffalo native Erik Brady, CLICK HERE to read the full story.

REGIONAL RANKS
A 14-1 record since Dec. 31 has vaulted Daemen into the official NCAA Division II East Region rankings for the first time in team history, coming in at No. 8 this week. The NCAA announces the 10-team regional rankings each of the three Wednesdays prior to the NCAA Championships selection announcement, which will be made this year on Sunday, March 4. The eight-team NCAA Championships East Regional will consist of three automatic berths and five at-large selections. In addition, Daemen remains ranked in the D2SIDA East Region media poll, coming in at No. 5 this week, the team's highest-ever ascent in that poll. The Wildcats debuted in the poll in a tie for 10th on Jan. 15, marking the first time that Daemen had been regionally-ranked since the final week of the 2015-16 regular season. The Wildcats moved up a spot to ninth on Jan. 22 and held steady in that position on Jan. 29. Road wins over St. Thomas Aquinas, the No. 3 team in the poll, and District of Columbia helped Daemen climb to sixth on Feb. 5.

BREAKOUT BREON
Sophomore guard Breon Harris has exploded on the scene with an incredible stretch of late, helping Daemen to wins in 14 of their 15 games since he was inserted into the starting lineup back on Dec. 31 vs. St. Rose. After producing just 3.1 points on 31.8 percent shooting while coming off the bench in the team's first 11 games, Harris is contributing 13.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.5 steals per game, while shooting 53.1 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 15 straight games (21 total three-point field goals in that span). He was named the ECC Player of the Week for Jan. 8-14 after leading Daemen to a trio of home wins. In that stretch, he eclipsed his career-high for both points and rebounds in consecutive games. He scored 16 points, grabbed seven boards and swiped a career-high seven steals in the Wildcats' eight-point win over LIU Post on Jan. 12. Harris followed that up by shooting a perfect 9-for-9 from the field and 2-for-2 from three-point range while totaling 23 points and eight rebounds in a 93-82 win over NYIT. On Jan. 28, Harris led a wild second-half comeback that came up just short against nationally-ranked Bridgeport. With Daemen trailing by 24 points, Harris erupted for 22 points in the final 13:17 of the game as Daemen cut the deficit to two points in the game's final minute. He ended the game with a career-high 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting to go with seven rebounds and six steals. Harris totaled 21 points, nine boards and four assists in a wild 102-98 double-overtime win over Molloy on Feb. 16, playing 48 of a possible 50 minutes in the contest. For the season, Harris is producing 9.3 points per game, and he presently ranks third in the ECC and 18th nationally in total steals (54). He also ranks sixth in steals per game (2.2), eighth in total assists (81) and 10th in assists per game (3.1) among the ECC leaders. He recently became the first Daemen player with more than 50 steals in a season since Casey Sheehan (68) and Mark Coppola (57) both did so during the 2012-13 campaign. 

IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Redshirt freshman center Andrew Sischo has his collegiate career off to a fast start with double-figure scoring in 22 of Daemen's 26 games, including the last 18 in a row. The 6-foot-9 Sischo is averaging 15.6 points per game - tops among all ECC freshmen and sixth in the league overall at present. He's also producing a team-high 8.4 rebounds per game (2nd in ECC) and shooting a team-best 57.8 percent from the field (3rd in ECC, 38th nationally). Sischo has earned seven ECC Rookie of the Week selections, the most for any player in the league since former Molloy guard/forward John Petrucelli had nine during the 2010-11 season. Sischo poured in 27 points on 12-of-14 shooting to lead Daemen to an 86-82 win at Mercy on Dec. 15, igniting a scorching 18-game stretch that's seen him post five 20-point games and the first seven double-doubles of his career. In that 18-game span, Sischo is averaging 18.3 points on 60.7 percent field-goal shooting (139-for-229), while adding 9.8 rebounds per game. Sischo posted 20 points and 12 rebounds in a 68-60 win over Mercy on Jan. 26, scoring 17 points in a game-changing 22-4 second-half run that turned a 38-31 deficit into a 53-42 lead. He erupted for 36 points (5th most by an ECC player this season) and 23 rebounds (most by an ECC player, 4th most by any player in the country this season) in a 102-98 double-overtime win over Molloy on Feb. 16, propelling him to ECC Co-Player of the Week honors. It was the most points for a Daemen player since Torrence Dyck's 35 against Roberts Wesleyan on Jan. 12, 2016; it was also the most rebounds for a Daemen player since Gerald Beverly's 21 against Dowling on Jan. 9, 2015. With 406 total points this season, Sischo has the most points for a Daemen freshman since Brian Montanaro's 420 during the 2002-03 season. He's also the first Daemen player with more than 200 total rebounds since Beverly hauled in 373 during the 2014-15 season.

GARV-ELOUS
With injuries to key backcourt players in each of the last three seasons, Daemen has become reliant on the steady play of junior guard Darius Garvin who appeared in 82 of a possible 83 games while making 66 starts. 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). Garvin has started all 26 contests so far this season, and he is contributing 10.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Garvin is one of only two players in the ECC to have games of at least 10+ points, 10+ rebounds and 10+ assists this season. He scored a career-high 24 points in a one-point loss to St. Michael's on Dec. 30, and has reached double figures in 11 of the last 16 games. He's increased his scoring thanks in part to his three-point shooting; Garvin totaled just four three-pointers in the first nine games of the season, but he made at least one triple in a career-high 13 straight games from Dec. 17 through Feb. 2, shooting 25-for-54 from downtown (46.3%) in that span. Garvin's 30 total three-pointers this season establishes a new career-high, as does his 260 points and 78 assists. Daemen is 10-3 this season and 20-6 since the 2015-16 season when Garvin scores 10 or more points in a game. In a 73-66 win over regionally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas on Feb. 2, Garvin totaled 15 points and 10 assists to become the first Wildcat player to record a points-assists double-double since Supreme Hannah on Dec. 17, 2014. Garvin presently ranks 11th in total assists (78), 12th in assists per game (3.0), sixth in assist-turnover ratio (1.5 - 9th), ninth in defensive rebounds (117), seventh in total minutes (879) and eighth in minutes per game (33.8) among the ECC leaders.

REDBAND FOR THREE
Over the last two seasons, redshirt sophomore forward Jeff Redband has established himself as one of the preeminent three-point shooters in the ECC. In the 2016-17 seasn, 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. 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). Appearing in all 28 games while making 27 starts, Redband contributed 10.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Redband shook off a slow start to the 2017-18 season (three three-pointers in first four games) to shoot 55.9 percent from long distance (19-for-34) over a six-game stretch from late November to mid December. Redband scored a season-high 19 points in Daemen's 80-56 win over District of Columbia on Jan. 10, and he posted back-to-back 17-point outings in road wins over Molloy and Queens in mid January. He canned 5-of-8 three-pointers in a Feb. 2 win at regionally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas. He's made at least one three-pointer in 21 of 26 games, and has posted a career-high 16 games with at least 10 points. For the season, he is contributing 10.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and he presently ranks sixth in three-point field goals (55) and ninth in three-point field goal percentage (40.7) among the league leaders. He's the first Daemen player to record consecutive seasons with at least 50 three-pointers since Jordan Greene did so in three straight seasons (2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15). 

SHINING STAR-KIS
Redshirt sophomore guard Jay Sarkis has made a successful return to the lineup after missing all of last season 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. Through the first 26 games this season, Sarkis is producing 12.3 points and a team-best 3.6 assists per game. He has posted the first four 20-point games of his career this season, including a career-high 24 in a 78-65 win over District of Columbia on Feb. 4. Sarkis has dished out five or more assists in nine games this season, including a career-high 11 in a Jan. 21 win at Queens when he became the first Daemen player with 10 or more since Supreme Hannah on Dec. 17, 2014. Sarkis' string of 24 consecutive games with a three-point field goal was snapped on Jan. 26 vs. Mercy, but he rebounded a short time later by shooting 6-for-9 from distance in a pair of road wins over St. Thomas Aquinas and UDC. He played in the 50th game of his career on Jan. 28 vs. Bridgeport, and has made 52 consecutive starts when healthy. Sarkis presently ranks among the ECC leaders in total minutes (911 - 5th),  minutes per game (35.0 - 5th), three-point field goal percentage (42.1 - 8th), three-point field goals (56 - 5th), total assists (94 - 4th) and assists per game (3.6 - 6th). He enters the final weekend of the regular season just six assists shy of becoming the first Daemen player with 100 in a season since Hannah had 109 in 2014-15. 

IMPORTER/EXPORTER
Since being imported from Roberts Wesleyan, redshirt senior forward Aleks Miljenovic has exported solid efforts for the Wildcats, mostly off the bench of late. The 6-foot-6 Serbian native is chipping in with 9.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game this season. Miljenovic opened the year with back-to-back double-figure scoring games in wins over Felician and Nyack en route to earning all-tournament team honors at the ECC-CACC Challenge for the second straight season. His 16 points and nine rebounds in the win over Felician led the team. Miljenovic has reached double-figure scoring in 12 games this season. He scored a season-high 19 points in 24 minutes of action in the Wildcats' 77-70 victory over thruway rival Roberts Wesleyan. He poured in 17 points and grabbed eight boards in Daemen's 80-56 win over District of Columbia on Jan. 10, and added 17 points and nine rebounds in a 74-66 defeat of LIU Post on Jan. 12. Since transferring from RWC, Miljenovic has appeared in 53 games for Daemen, helping the Wildcats to a 38-16 record in the last two seasons.

THINNING BENCH
Daemen's bench has grown a little thinner than anticipated in recent weeks. Redshirt junior guard Nick Petrucelli is out for the year after suffering an injury Nov. 26 at Slippery Rock. It's the second time that Petrucelli has suffered a season-ending injury. He was averaging 9.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game before his 2015-16 season was cut short with an injury that cost him all of the 2016-17 season as well. In two games this season, Petrucelli was averaging 5.0 points and 2.0 rebounds in 11.0 minutes per game off the bench. Also, redshirt senior forward Xavier Long has exercised his option to graduate in December. Long, who scored a career-high nine points in Daemen's 82-72 win over Edinboro on Nov. 28, was averaging 2.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per game off the bench this season. For his career, Long appeared in 92 games, shot 44.4 percent from the field, and totaled 176 points and 172 rebounds. Also, redshirt junior wing Deion Hamilton is out for the season. Hamilton was averaging a team-best 15.1 points per game through the team's first 10 games.

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.

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. The Wildcats are 11-3 at home this season, marking the sixth time in the last seven years that they've had at least 10 home victories. Since the start of the 2011-12 season, Daemen is 81-13 at Lumsden Gymnasium (.862 winning percentage).

THRUWAY RIVALRY DOMINANCE
Daemen picked up a 98-73 win over Roberts Wesleyan on Jan. 6, giving the Wildcats 10 in a row at RWC's Voller Athletic Center. Jeff Redband (18 pts), Andrew Sischo (18 pts) and Jay Sarkis (17 pts) combined for 53 points and helped Daemen lead for nearly 39 minutes. Roberts Wesleyan came into the game as the ECC leader in field goal percentage defense, but the Redhawks allowed Daemen to shoot season-bests of 59.1 percent from the field and 60.9 percent from three-point range. The Wildcats matched a season-high with 21 assists and went over 90 points for the first time since Jan. 21, 2017.  Daemen swept the Redhawks in the regular season with a 77-70 win on Feb. 9, giving the Wildcats wins in 14 straight and 21 of the last 22 meetings with the Redhawks.  Aleks Miljenovic and Andrew Sischo combined for 37 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Wildcats.  Daemen outscored Roberts 18-10 in the final seven minutes of the game.

STREAK STOPPERS
Twice this season Daemen has snapped long home winning streaks of their opponents. A 68-60 win at St. Rose on Dec. 31 snapped the Golden Knights' 14-game home winning streak. A 73-66 win at St. Thomas Aquinas on Feb. 2 snapped the Spartans' 19-game home winning streak, longest in the East Region at the time. The Spartans also entered that contest as winners of 20 consecutive home league games. 

LIU POST SCOUTING REPORT
LIU Post is led by veteran head coach Erik Smiles who has guided the Pioneers to a 72-71 record since taking the reins of the program five seasons ago. The Pioneers were picked fourth in the ECC preseason poll, and they return 11 players from their 2016-17 team which posted a 10-18 overall record and a 9-9 ECC mark which placed them seventh in the final league standings, one spot out of conference tournament contention. The Pioneers are just 4-7 over their last 11 games, and they'll enter Friday's contest looking to snap a three-game slide. The recent skid includes losses to Queens, District of Columbia and St. Thomas Aquinas, and the Pioneers have failed to reach 70 points in each contest. Sophomore guard Jared Rivers has paced the Pioneers this season, averaging a team-best 18.0 points per game (3rd in ECC). Rivers, who scored 41 points in a 91-88 win over Post (Conn.) on Nov. 19, has a personal streak of 16 consecutive games with at least 10 points. He's made at least one three-pointer in each of those contests, and he leads the league with 68 three-point field goals. Fifth-year senior Aary Bibens is the only other player averaging double-figure scoring (11.5 ppg). He's knocked down 51 three-pointers (7th in ECC) and is shooting 44.0 percent from long distance (5th in ECC). Additional production is coming from Kyle McLeggan (9.4 ppg), Darien Jenkins (7.3 ppg), Austin Kennedy (6.6 ppg, 2.3 apg), Alonzo  Ortiz-Traylor (6.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and Kyle Doucette (6.2 ppg, 7.6 rpg). Both Kennedy and Ortiz-Traylor have earned ECC Rookie of the Week honors this season.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. LIU Post: 5-5
Streak: Won 2
Last Meeting: Daemen 74, LIU Post 66 | Jan. 12, 2018 | Amherst, N.Y.
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NYIT SCOUTING REPORT
NYIT is led by second-year head coach Kevin Hamilton who has guided the Bears to an overall record of 12-42 since the start of the 2016-17 season. The Bears were picked seventh in the ECC preseason poll, and they return five players, including two starters, from last season's team which went 8-18 overall. The returners are headlined by juniors Jeffrey Hayden and Kieran Hamilton who combined to average 26.6 points per game last season. Sustained success has eluded the Bears this season as they enter the weekend having lost 23 of their last 25 games. The Bears snapped a 12-game slide with an 89-69 win over District of Columbia last Saturday. Hayden is having a monster year as he ranks second in the ECC and 15th nationally in scoring (22.5 ppg). The 6-foot-4 forward has produced five 30-point games this season, including 49 in a six-point loss to Adelphi on Dec. 4 - the second-highest single-game total in the country this season. He's also averaging 6.9 rebounds per game (5th in ECC) and is shooting 50.9 percent from the field (9th in ECC). Hamilton is producing 15.0 points per game, and no player in the league has attempted more three-pointers than his 232 (3rd in ECC with 59 made three-pointers). Newcomer Tyler Ancrum, a junior guard, has made an immediate impact with 8.4 points per game, 127 assists (2nd in ECC) and 56 steals (3rd in ECC). Free throws and turnovers have been a problem for the Bears this season. Despite leading the ECC in free throw attempts per game (24.7), the Bears rank 10th in the league and 276th in the country (out of 301 teams) in free throw percentage (65.0%). NYIT is committing 18.7 turnovers per game which also ranks last among ECC teams and 300th nationally. 

ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. NYIT: 6-3
Streak: Won 5
Last Meeting: Daemen 93, NYIT 82 | Jan. 14, 2018 | Amherst, N.Y.
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UP NEXT
Official seeding for the upcoming ECC Tournament will be determined this weekend. The Wildcats will either host a first round game on Wednesday, Feb. 28, or receive a bye into the semifinal round on Saturday, March 3 at the Voller Athletic Center on the campus of Roberts Wesleyan.