#22 / #18 DAEMEN WILDCATS (5-1, 0-0 ECC) vs. LE MOYNE DOLPHINS (1-2, 0-0 NE-10)
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2019
LUMSDEN GYMNASIUM - 7:00 p.m.

JUMP BALL
Daemen brings a five-game winning streak into Tuesday's meeting with Le Moyne as the Wildcats and Dolphins battle for upstate supremacy. It will mark just the sixth all-time meeting between to the two teams, and the first since the 2004-05 season. The game features two of the most successful Division II programs in New York State of late. Le Moyne has averaged 22.3 wins over the last three seasons, while Daemen has posted at least 19 wins in eight successive campaigns (21.6 wins per season in that span). Both teams are coming off NCAA tournament appearances in 2018-19; for Le Moyne, it was their third straight trip. Le Moyne will be the fourth NCAA tournament team that Daemen has faced already this season. The Wildcats are coming off a 98-83 win over nationally-ranked West Liberty, while the Dolphins are looking to avoid a second straight loss to a nationally-ranked opponent following their 82-78 setback vs. No. 11 Indiana (Pa.). Daemen has won 12 straight home games overall, and 13 straight non-conference home games. 

WHAT A RIDE
The 2018-19 season was one for the record books at Daemen as the Wildcats captured their second East Coast Conference regular season title, sat atop the regional rankings for much of the campaign, ascended into the top-25 national polls for the first time as an NCAA Division II member and garnered the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament bid. The Wildcats rattled off wins in 11 of their first 12 games, including a 78-72 defeat of previously unbeaten St. Anselm who came into the Jan. 2 contest ranked No. 4 in both Division II national polls. Daemen embarked on a 10-game winning streak beginning in mid-January, a stretch that vaulted them to the top of the regional poll and as high as No. 10 (D2SIDA) and No. 13 (NABC) in the top-25 national polls. It marked the Wildcats' longest winning streak since the 2013-14 season when they won 14 consecutive games. The Wildcats wrapped up the ECC regular season title with a 93-71 defeat of Bridgeport on March 3. They entered the ECC Championship tournament as the No. 1 seed, but were upset by fourth-seeded Bridgeport in game played at UB's Hubbell Gymnasium. Despite the conference tournament loss, Daemen was awarded an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, earning the No. 5 seed to the East Region Championship. They made their NCAA tourney debut March 16, but saw their season come to an end with a 72-67 loss to fourth-seeded New Haven. The team's 24 wins this season were the most since their transition to NCAA Division Ii.

BECOMING THE NORM
Daemen's 108-63 win over LIU Post last Feb. 15 was their 20th of the 2018-19 season. It marked Daemen's sixth 20-win campaign in the last eight seasons. Daemen has not won less than 19 games in a season since the 2010-11 campaign. Finishing the year at 24-6, it marked the program's most in a season since going 27-6 during the 2012-13 campaign, a year before the Wildcats began play as members of the East Coast Conference. 

TUNE-UPS
In preparation for the 2019-20 regular season, Daemen played a trio of exhibition contests, including two against highly-touted Division I programs Buffalo and Syracuse. Despite having just seven days of practice under their belt, Daemen opened the brief exhibition season with a 111-73 loss against a Buffalo team that spent the majority of the 2018-19 season ranked among the top-25 teams in the country, finishing the year with a 32-4 overall record and a trip to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Less than 48 hours later the Wildcats made their first-ever appearance at the iconic Carrier Dome on the campus of SU, falling to the Orange and legendary head coach Jim Boeheim 90-71. It left as a decent a feeling as one can have following a 19-point defeat at the Wildcats played SU even (43-43) over the final 20 minutes. The exhibition slate wrapped up on Oct. 29 with Daemen blasting Mohawk (116-54) out of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association. Andrew Sischo led the Wildcats by averaging 18.3 points and 10.3 rebounds over the three contests. He put up 28 points and 12 rebounds against Buffalo, numbers that no player has achieved against the Bulls in the last three seasons, and followed up with another double-double (15 points, 12 rebounds) at Syracuse. Breon Harris netted a team-high 23 points at the Carrier Dome, and finished the exhibition slate averaging 10.7 points per game. Newcomer Joey Wallace also made his presence felt, averaging 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. 

SMALL COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL HALL OF FAME CLASSIC
Daemen opened the 2019-20 season in prestigious fashion as they were selected to take part in the Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame Classic held at the St. Joseph (Mo.) Civic Arena. In a battle of nationally-ranked teams, Daemen fell 85-65 in their season opener against No. 1 Northwest Missouri State. The Bearcats, who have won two of the last three national titles, extended their winning streak to 39 games, despite being outscored (55-54) over the middle 30 minutes of the contest. Daemen's Andrew Sischo impressed against the highly-touted Bearcats as he recorded the 26th double-double of his career, finishing with 24 points and 15 rebounds. The Wildcats regrouped for a come-from-behind win the following night against Missouri Western State, the quasi-tournament host playing less than 10 miles from their campus. A game-closing 15-6 run over the final 5:29 lifted the Wildcats past the Griffons. Newcomer Kyle Harris netted the go-ahead bucket at the 1:41 mark, part of his 11-point outing off the bench. 

ECC-CACC CHALLENGE DOMINANCE
Daemen continued its winning ways at the ECC-CACC Challenge, earning home victories over Felician (95-80) on Nov. 8, and Nyack (80-74) on Nov. 9. Both games featured come-from-behind efforts. The Wildcats erased a 17-point first-half deficit in the win over Felician. After trailing by 11 at halftime, Daemen erupted for 56 second-half points, outscoring the Golden Falcons by 26 in the period. Andrew Sischo (31 points, 19 rebounds) scored 22 second-half points to lead the surge. Sischo was at it again vs. Nyack, finishing with 34 points and 17 boards en route to tournament MVP honors. The Wildcats led for most of the game, but found themselves trailing by three late in the second half. An old-fashioned three-point play by Sischo sparked a decisive 11-2 run down the stretch that included back-to-back trifectas by Jay Sarkis. Sischo, an ECC-CACC Challenge all-tournament team selection for the third straight year, was joined on the all-tournament team by Sarkis and senior guard Breon Harris who collected his first career double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) in the win over Nyack. 

HURST CURSE DASHED
Daemen exorcised some demons with a 67-65 defeat of Mercyhurst on Nov. 14. It marked the Wildcats' first win over Lakers since 2013, and just their second in the series overall. Andrew Sischo produced a double-double (22 points, 11 rebounds) and Joey Wallace put up 18 points, five boards, three assists and two steals to lead the way. The Wildcats and Lakers have met in seven successive seasons with five of those contests being decided by six points or less. 

TOPPLING THE TOPPERS
Daemen posted a wire-to-wire 98-83 win over nationally-ranked West Liberty on Nov. 16. The Hilltoppers came into the game ranked in the top-five of both national polls for Division II (No. 4 NABC; No. 3 D2SIDA), and have routinely been among the nation's highest scoring teams, including in 2018-19 when they ranked first in scoring (100.9 ppg). The Hilltoppers came in averaging 130.5 points per game following two lopsided wins over Mansfield and Shaw, but Daemen was the aggressor from the get-go and built an 18-point advantage late in the first half. West Liberty would cut the deficit to seven points several times in the second half, but Daemen charged back and eventually cruised to the 15-point win. Andrew Sischo was dominant inside (29 points on 12-of-13 shooting, 18 rebounds), and the Wildcats got additional scoring from Joey Wallace (19 points), Breon Harris (17), Kyle Harris (11) and Jeff Redband (10). 

DEFENDING THE DEN
Daemen has posted 10 or more home wins seven times in the last eight seasons, including a 15-1 mark in 2018-19 that established a new benchmark for home-court wins in a single season. Daemen's 14th home win of the season came on March 1 with an 89-69 defeat of Mercy, matching the prior team record which was established during both the 1999-2000 and 2016-17 seasons. The Wildcats broke that mark with a 93-71 win over Bridgeport in the regular-season finale on March 3. The Wildcats have won 27 of their last 29 home games dating back to the 2017-18 season, as well as their last 12 in a row. Daemen is also unbeaten in 13 straight non-conference home games. Since joining the ECC (2013-14 season), Daemen is 48-9 in home conference games (.842 winning percentage). Since the start of the 2011-12 season, Daemen is 100-14 at Lumsden Gymnasium (.877 winning percentage). Of those 14 losses, six have been decided by three points or fewer, including three by just a single point.  

RETURN OF THE MAC
Mike MacDonald returns to the bench for his sixth season as Daemen's head coach, and his 23rd overall as a collegiate head coach. Since beginning to roam the Daemen sidelines, MacDonald has led the Wildcats to a 109-44 overall record. The Wildcats have won at least 19 games in each of MacDonald's five seasons, and the team's 107 victories in that span are the second most among all NCAA Division II programs in New York State, as well as all East Coast Conference teams. He recorded the 100th win of his Daemen tenure last Feb. 10 against Queens, placing him in an elite fraternity of coaches that have achieved at least 100 wins in each of the NCAA's three divisions. He went on to be named the East Coast Conference, NABC District and Basketball Coaches Association of New York Division II Coach of the Year following the 2018-19 season. 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 holds a career record of 365-270.

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
For the first time as a member of NCAA Division II, Daemen opens the season as a nationally-ranked team. The Wildcats are ranked in both national polls for Division II: No. 22 in the NABC preseason top-25 poll (released in late October); and No. 18 in the D2SIDA preseason top-25 poll (released in early November). Daemen's preseason rankings come after spending a combined 16 weeks in the two polls through last January, February and March. The Wildcats rose as high as No. 10 in the D2SIDA poll (Feb. 19) and No. 13 in the NABC poll (Feb. 19). Daemen will play three games against teams included in the NABC preseason top-25, and four more against teams that are presently receiving votes. The Wildcats opened the regular season Nov. 1 against No. 1 Northwest Missouri State University as part of the Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame Classic. The Bearcats are atop both polls after completing a perfect 38-0 season in 2018-19. Additional games against top-25 teams come Nov. 16 when the Wildcats host No. 4 West Liberty University, and Jan. 1 at No. 21 Saint Anselm College. The Daemen-Saint Anselm matchup will the second in as many seasons. The Wildcats defeated the Hawks, then ranked No. 4 in the NABC poll, 78-72 at Lumsden Gymnasium last January.

GREAT ECC-XPECTATIONS
For the first time since joining the East Coast Conference, the league's coaches have predicted a first-place finish for Daemen. The Wildcats sit atop the 2019-20 ECC preseason poll which was released in late October. Daemen amassed 80 total points in the poll, grabbing eight of nine first-place votes. St. Thomas Aquinas College picked up the remaining first-place vote, finishing with 72 points in the poll to sit at No. 2. The University of Bridgeport (64 points) and defending ECC tournament champion Molloy College (53 points) round out the top four teams. Daemen holds an 87-27 all-time record in ECC contests dating back to the 2013-14 season. Only St. Thomas Aquinas (89-24) holds more wins in ECC games during that time frame. The Wildcats have finished third or better in all six seasons since joining the league. 

EVERYTHING'S WAITING FOR YOU DOWNTOWN
Daemen will make their first-ever appearance at KeyBank Center, downtown Buffalo's largest sports venue, on Saturday, Nov. 23 when the Wildcats host Wilmington (Del.). The 19,000-seat arena has been the site of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament six times since its opening in 1996. The Daemen-Wilmington game comes as part of a doubleheader with Division I teams from Canisius and St. Bonaventure hitting the KeyBank hardwood that day as well. Tickets for the doubleheader are on sale now at daemenwildcats.com/KeyBankTix (use password "WILDCATS" to unlock Daemen ticket block).  

MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Redshirt-junior center Andrew Sischo headlines Daemen's returning players after earning East Coast Conference and Division II Conference Commissioner's Association East Region Player of the Year honors in 2018-19. A two-time first-team All-ECC selection, Sischo has been downright dominant in his career for the Wildcats. He has set new team benchmarks for points scored by a freshman (462) and sophomore (585), and is already one of only 10 players in program history with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. Sischo recorded 17 double-doubles last season, ranking first among all ECC players and sixth nationally, while also becoming just the sixth player in team history to average a double-double (20.9 ppg, 10.1 rpg) for an entire season. In late October he was named the ECC Preseason Player of the Year, marking the second straight season that he's earned the accolade, and he's picked up right where he left off last season. Through six games this year, Sischo is averaging monster numbers (25.2 ppg, 15.3 rpg, 2.3 bpg, 69.1% FG). He's posted six straight double-doubles, was named to the SCB National Hall of Fame Classic all-tournament team, MVP of the ECC-CACC Challenge, the ECC Player and Defensive Player of the Week, and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Men's Division II National Player of the Week. 

THREE-DICULOUS SHOOTING
Over the course of his career, forward Jeff Redband has established himself as one of the preeminent three-point shooters in the ECC, as well as among Daemen's all-time leaders. Redband is the first Daemen player with 60 or more three-pointers in three straight seasons since Brian Montanaro did so four straight times from 2002-06. A two-time All-ECC pick, including a second-team selection last season, Redband has appeared in all 94 games since the start of the 2016-17 season, making 91 starts and averaging 11.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He ranks fourth in team history with 230 three-point field goals, and he's made at least one trifecta in 37 of the last 40 games. 

BREAKOUT BREON
Senior guard Breon Harris was inserted into the starting lineup midway through the 2017-18 season, and went on to help Daemen wins in 41 of their next 49 contests (through the end of the 2018-19 season). He's been a third-team All-ECC selection in each of the last two seasons, and has also earned ECC Championships all-tournament team honors twice in his career. Harris swiped 70 steals as a sophomore, the third-highest single-season total in team history and making him the first player with at least 70 since Russell John totaled 73 in 1990-91. He added 53 steals to his career total last season, becoming just the fifth player to lead the Wildcats in steals at least twice, and the first player with 50+ steals in consecutive seasons since Mark Coppola in 2011-12 and 2012-13. He was named to the ECC-CACC Challenge all-tournament team for the second straight year after averaging 14.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists in Daemen wins over Felician and Nyack. Those contributions included the first double-double of his career, as he totaled 11 points and a career-high 11 boards vs. Nyack. 

SHINING STAR-KIS
Redshirt-senior guard Jay Sarkis has been a fixture in the Daemen lineup since arriving on campus in 2015. Sarkis has appeared in 87 of a possible 95 games (excluding a redshirt season in 2016-17), while making 81 starts. He's recorded at least one three-pointer in 72 games, totaling 153 triples in his career. He's just the eighth player in program history with at least 150 three-point field goals. Sarkis contributed 8.2 points and a team-best 3.1 assists per game in 2018-19. His finest season came a year earlier when he put up career-highs in points (372), assists (106) and rebounds (86), and finished the season ranking among the ECC's top-five statistical leaders in minutes (3rd), minutes per game (5th), three-point field goals (4th), three-point shooting percentage (5th) and assists (3rd).

FRESH FACES
The Wildcats welcome 10 new players to the fold this season to round out a large 20-player roster. While some of the newcomers are expected to redshirt, several are expected to make immediate impacts. Redshirt-senior guard Joey Wallace is the most experienced of the bunch. The son of former Syracuse star and NBA veteran John Wallace, Joey Wallace comes to Daemen with 85 games of Division II experience under his belt across parts of four seasons playing for Southern Connecticut State. The Rochester native contributed 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game across his tenure there. Buffalo natives Donte' Williams and Kyle Harris are also proven college players. Williams, a 6'4" guard/forward, has one season of remaining eligibility following previous stops at Southeastern Iowa Community College and California University (Pa.). He averaged 10.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for the Vulcans last season. Harris comes over after a prolific junior college career at Erie Community College where he played for head coach Alex Nwora, a Daemen graduate and inductee of the Daemen Hall of Fame. Harris brings a winning pedigree (47-17 record at ECC) and tremendous three-point shooting ability (166 three-pointers in the last two seasons) to the Wildcats. Big man Chris Luke (7'0", Jr., C) gives the Wildcats some depth at the center position and freshmen Keith Slack and Ryan Salzberg will compete for minutes.

LE MOYNE SCOUTING REPORT 
Le Moyne is a member of the Northeast-10 Conference, and the Dolphins are led by first-year head coach Nate Champion. The 2014 Le Moyne graduate returns to lead the program following a stellar four-year career with the Dolphins in which he appeared in 100 games and made 93 starts. Nine letterwinners return from the Dolphins' 2018-19 team that went 18-10 overall while making their third straight NCAA tournament appearance. The Dolphins feature a veteran group with eight players in their final year of eligibility (two grad students, two fifth-year seniors, four true seniors). Senior forward Tom Brown and senior guard Ryan Roland headline the team's returners. Brown averaged 11.1 points and a team-high 8.4 rebounds per game, while Roland contributed 9.0 points per game and a team-high 30 steals last season. Division I transfers Lonnie Rivera (Wagner) and Nino Hernandez (Bryant) account for half of the Dolphins' newcomers. The Dolphins were picked fifth in the NE-10 Southwest Division preseason poll. They've opened the season with one win in their first three contests, sandwiching tight losses to Bloomfield (62-59) and No. 11 Indiana (Pa.) (82-78) around a lopsided defeat of Chestnut Hill (123-70). The Dolphins canned a program-record 21 three-pointers in the win over Chestnut Hill, and broke their previous record for points in a game. Junior guard Tim Leavell is averaging a team-best 19.7 points per game, with Roland (15.0 ppg) and Hernandez (12.0 ppg) reaching double figures as well. 

ALL-TIME SERIES
Daemen vs. Le Moyne: 2-3
Streak: Won 2
Last Meeting: Daemen 73, Le Moyne 63 | Dec. 30, 2004 | at Amherst, N.Y.

UP NEXT
The Wildcats play their first-ever game at KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo when Wilmington comes to town for a noon tip-off on Saturday, Nov. 23.