Wildcats Remain Atop D2SIDA Regional Poll

11/25/2019 4:18:00 PM

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

AMHERST, N.Y. - Fresh off a win in the program's first-ever game at KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo, the Daemen College men's basketball team remains perched at No. 1 in the NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region media poll which was released earlier today.

Daemen has won seven straight games and the Wildcats sit at 7-1 on the season following come-from-behind wins over Le Moyne College (89-79) and Wilmington University (83-81) last week. The Wildcats rallied from an eight-point deficit with under seven minutes to play to defeat upstate rival Le Moyne which made the trek from Syracuse to Lumsden Gymnasium for the first time since 2004. The downtown win Saturday saw Daemen erase a seven-point deficit late in the game, thanks to the heroics of senior guard Breon Harris (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) who drilled the go-ahead three-pointer with 32 seconds left, and then came up with a steal on Wilmington's final possession.

Six of Daemen's seven wins this season have featured second-half comebacks. The Wildcats have won 14 straight and 29 of their last 31 home games, and also 15 consecutive non-conference home games. Their lone setback this season came November 1 at the Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame Classic where they fell 85-65 to defending national champion and the No. 1-ranked team in the country, Northwest Missouri State University.

Daemen has now been ranked in 21 successive D2SIDA regional polls dating back to January of 2018. The Wildcats have been first or tied for first in nine of the last 10 polls dating back to last January 7.

National polls from both D2SIDA and the National Association of Basketball Coaches are expected to be released Tuesday. Daemen was ranked No. 10 in the D2SIDA national poll and no. 17 the NABC national poll last week.

The Wildcats play their first true road game of the season this Saturday, Nov. 30 when they visit University of the Sciences for a 3 p.m. tip-off in Philadelphia.

Daemen College features the only NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

Print Friendly Version