Daemen Set To Host Perennial Conference Contender Bridgeport

Wildcats looking for first 3-0 start in ECC play since 2018-19 season

12/11/2021 2:00:00 PM

GAME #10
Daemen Wildcats (4-5, 2-0 ECC) vs. Bridgeport Purple Knights (3-6, 1-0 ECC)
Sunday, Dec. 12 | 1 p.m. | Lumsden Gymnasium | Amherst, N.Y.
Watch (ECC Network)
Live Stats
Game Notes (PDF)
Tickets (all ticket sales online via Hometown Ticketing - no cash accepted on site)

JUMP BALL
Daemen continues a three-game homestand by hosting perennial East Coast Conference powerhouse Bridgeport for a 1 p.m. tip-off Sunday. The Wildcats are off to a 2-0 start in conference play for the fourth straight season following their 81-72 defeat of rival Roberts Wesleyan earlier this week. The Purple Knights won their ECC season opener Friday with a 90-66 defeat of D'Youville. The Wildcats and Purple Knights rank second and third respectively for wins among ECC teams since Daemen entered the league in 2013.

RELOADED
Daemen returns 11 players, including all five starters, from their regional championship team – players responsible for 98% of scoring, 99% of rebounding and assists from a season ago. None is bigger, both literally and figuratively, than center Andrew Sischo who returns for a fifth collegiate season after averaging 26.9 points and 13.0 rebounds per game last season. Fellow All-ECC picks Sean Fasoyiro (13.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.9 apg) and Kyle Harris (12.5 ppg, 39% 3PT) also return, along with Ryan Salzberg (8.6 ppg, 36% 3PT) and Andrew Mason (12.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 49% 3PT).

A MAGICAL RUN
The Wildcats earned their third consecutive NCAA tournament berth and captured their first regional title last March. After entering the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the East Regional, the Wildcats ran to an 81-69 win over third-seeded Bloomfield in the regional semifinals, marking the program's first-ever NCAA tournament victory. The Wildcats followed up with a 71-70 defeat of top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas in the regional final, avenging a loss just nine days prior in the ECC Championship final. Andrew Sischo was named the Most Outstanding Player of the East Regional after netting 25 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the final. The Wildcats' run came to an end just over a week later in Evansville, Indiana where they suffered a 97-83 loss in the Elite Eight to top-seeded and eventual national runner-up West Texas A&M. The Wildcats finished with a 10-6 overall record and were ranked ninth in the final D2SIDA national media poll.

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS
Graduate student Andrew Sischo is arguably the most decorated Daemen student-athlete of all-time. He is the active scoring (2,435) and rebounding (1,222) leader among all NCAA Division II players. A two-time consensus All-American, Sischo is coming off his finest season to date as he averaged career-highs in scoring (26.9 ppg – a Daemen single season record) and rebounding (13.0 rpg). Sischo has scored 10+ points in 74 of his last 75 games, and has gone for 20+ points in 26 of his last 30 contests. He has 68 double-doubles in 113 career games and has led Division II in double-doubles in each of the last two seasons. Sischo was named the East Conference Preseason Player of the Year for an unprecedented fourth time.

MILESTONE MOMENTS
Andrew Sischo recently surpassed a pair of milestones, adding to his collection of career achievements. In Daemen's season opener vs. Minnesota State Moorhead, Sischo became Daemen's all-time leading rebounder, supplanting Alex Nwora who had 1,103 rebounds in his career from 1989-93. The following night against Colorado Mesa, Sischo became the all-time leading scorer in East Coast Conference history, breaking the benchmark of 2,247 points set by former St. Thomas Aquinas star Justin Reyes from 2014-18. Sischo became Daemen's all-time scoring leader last season and is the first player in program history to reach 2,000 points. He is only the second player in ECC history (Reyes) with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, and he already holds Daemen and ECC records for career field goals (971). He passed Reyes for second on the ECC's all-time rebounding list during a 13-rebound outing vs. Mercyhurst. He needs 59 rebounds to become the ECC's all-time leader.

IN THE NCAA RECORD BOOK
Star center Andrew Sischo has recently entered the NCAA Division II record book for both scoring and rebounding. During Daemen's game at Le Moyne on Dec. 6, Sischo became just the 39th player in NCAA Division II history to reach 2,400 points in a career. With 2,435 points, he ranks 37th all-time. Sischo is on pace to reach 2,900 points, something only 14 other Division II players have achieved. He also ranks 17th for career rebounding with 1,222 boards. Sischo has a chance to finish his career among the top five rebounders in Division II history.

RETURN OF THE MAC
Mike MacDonald returns for his eighth season on Daemen's bench and his 25^th overall as a collegiate head coach. The veteran mentor has led Daemen to a 143-62 record since taking the reins in 2014. The Wildcats rank second in victories among all East Coast Conference and New York State Division II teams in that span. MacDonald is among an elite fraternity of coaches to have achieved 100 victories across all three NCAA divisions. Daemen's 81-72 win over Roberts Wesleyan on Dec. 8 was the 400th of his career.

DEFENDING THE DEN
Success on their home floor has been a staple of Daemen's rise within the NCAA Division II ranks. The Wildcats have won 10+ home games in eight of the last 10 seasons, including identical 15-1 records during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 campaigns which established a new program benchmark for homecourt victories. Dating back to the 2017-18 season, Daemen has won 44 of their last 48 home games. Since joining the ECC (2013-14 season), Daemen is 60-10 in home conference games (.857 win %). The Wildcats are also 72-13 at home during the program's NCAA era (.847 win %). In the past 21 seasons, the Wildcats have won 83% of all home games, going 227-46.

ALL IN THE FAMILY
Daemen's most high profile roster addition came in the form of 6-foot-5 guard Nick MacDonald, the son of head coach Mike MacDonald, who elected to transfer after two seasons at Division I Niagara. The younger MacDonald provides another three-point shooting option to an already potent team. The Wildcats ranked second in the ECC and 32^nd nationally last season by averaging 9.6 made three-pointers per game. MacDonald shot 35% from deep and connected on 50 three-pointers in his two seasons with the Purple Eagles.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Guards Sean Fasoyiro and Andrew Mason each made immediate contributions during their first season with the program in 2020-21. Fasoyiro was a first-team All-ECC and NABC All-District selection after finishing second on the team in scoring (13.9) and rebounding (7.1) while leading the squad in assists (3.9). Fasoyiro, a graduate transfer from Franklin Pierce, is competing in a fifth collegiate season with 97 games of playing experience under his belt to start the year. Mason burst on the scene as a freshman and started all 16 contests. He averaged 12.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while leading the ECC in three-point field goal accuracy (.487).

TEXAS-SIZED CHALLENGES
Daemen opened the season with three high-profile contests in Canyon, Texas as part of the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic held over Halloween weekend. The Wildcats knocked off Minnesota State Moorhead, 67-63, in the opener, thanks to the play of Nick MacDonald (17 points) and Andrew Sischo (16 points, 15 rebounds). The Dragons were ranked No. 25 in the D2SIDA preseason poll and picked to finish first in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. It marked the 18th time in the last 20 seasons that Daemen has started 1-0. A pair of losses to nationally ranked team followed. No. 4 Colorado Mesa got the best of the Wildcats, 76-65, using a 27-6 second-half spurt to erase a nine-point halftime deficit. Sischo was held to nine points, snapping a string of 67 consecutive double-figure games. The All-American big man was hampered by foul trouble and limited to 19 minutes – his lowest minute total since playing 10 against New York Tech on Dec. 16, 2018, a game he left due to an injury. Sischo returned to form in the tournament finale, finishing with 18 points and 15 boards, but it wasn't enough to lead Daemen past No. 3 West Texas A&M. In a rematch of last season's Elite Eight meeting. The Buffs came out on top again, this time by just three points (69-66). Sean Fasoyiro's tying three-point attempt fell short as the buzzer sounded. Both Sischo and Fasoyiro were named to the All-Tournament Team.

SUSTAINED SUCCESS
The Daemen program has been built on sustained success, winning at least 19 games in nine of the last 10 seasons. That span encompasses the end of Daemen's NAIA Era, its' NCAA transition period and the first six seasons of full NCAA Division II membership. The Wildcats have won 71% of their contests, going 210-84 in that span. Looking more recently, Daemen is 84-33 since the start of the 2017-18 season (.717 winning percentage).

BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
Daemen has earned three consecutive NCAA tournament berths. The Wildcats won 24 games (NCAA Era program record) and earned at-large bids to the NCAA tournament in 2019 and 2020. The Wildcats entered the 2021 tournament as the No. 2 seed in the East Region and picked up their first-ever NCAA tourney win with an 81-69 defeat of third-seeded Bloomfield en route to the program's first regional championship and Elite Eight appearance.

DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY
Daemen's 2021-22 schedule will provide plenty of tests. The Wildcats are slated to play games against seven teams who were ranked in either the NABC or D2SIDA preseason national polls: Minnesota State Moorhead, Colorado Mesa, West Texas A&M, Mercyhurst, West Liberty, Saint Anselm, St. Thomas Aquinas. Daemen has recorded two wins over top-25 ranked teams in each of the last three seasons.

BACK ON TRACK
Daemen was able to get back on track following the team's first three-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over ECC-newcomer Staten Island (80-61) and regionally ranked Saint Rose (83-71). The Nov. 23 win over CSI put Daemen at 1-0 in ECC play for the fourth straight season and allowed the Wildcats to avoid their first four-game slide since 2010-11. Daemen played their most complete game of the season in defeating previously unbeaten Saint Rose on Nov. 27, finishing with season-highs in points, field goal percentage (.478) and assists (19). Big man Andrew Sischo was particularly dominant, averaging 30.5 points and 12.5 rebounds while shooting nearly 70% from the field (25-for-36) in the two victories.

MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Daemen missed a golden opportunity for a win over a top-25 team when they suffered a 63-61 setback at #7/#4 West Liberty on Nov. 29. The Wildcats led for more than 32 minutes and held the high octane Hilltoppers under 70 points for the first time since 2018, but it wasn't enough as the hosts forced 21 turnovers and overcame a seven-point halftime deficit. Daemen was attempting to hand WLU just its sixth loss in a non-conference home game over the last 18 seasons. It marked Daemen's second loss by three points or fewer to a nationally ranked opponent this season.

BEASTS OF THE EAST
Daemen owns a 117-39 record (.750 winning percentage) in games against East Region opponents since the start of the 2014-15 season. That includes a combined 26-8 mark (.765 winning percentage) against affiliates of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference and Northeast 10 Conference.

GROUNDING THE REDHAWKS
Daemen's 81-72 win over Roberts Wesleyan on Dec. 8 was their 30th of the last 32 meetings dating back to the 2007-08 season. That includes wins in 13 straight meetings at Lumsden Gymnasium.

SCOUTING BRIDGEPORT
Bridgeport is a member of the East Coast Conference and the Purple Knights are led by veteran mentor Mike Ruane. Now in his 21st season at the helm, Ruane has led the Purple Knights to a 396-212 record, four ECC championships and 11 NCAA tournament berths.

The Purple Knights feature a 31-player roster and 20 players have appeared in at least one game this season, but just five players return from their 2019-20 team that went 24-4 overall and 15-1 in ECC play while earning the No. 1 seed in the East Regional before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Graduate student Nemanja Zubac is the most experienced of the returners as he averaged 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game in 2019-20. The four remaining returners combined to average just 4.6 minutes per game. The Purple Knights opted out of the 2020-21 season.

UB is off to a 3-6 start this season. They had lost six of seven before winning 90-66 at D'Youville in the ECC opener Friday night. Employing their usual full court pressure defense, UB is forcing opponents into 16.1 turnovers per game.

Newcomers Tim Dawson (12.8 ppg, 4.2 apg), Mason Williams (12.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Malcolm Moye (12.0 ppg) have led the way thus far, while Zubac is chipping in 7.2 points and a team-high 6.3 rebounds per game. Williams, a transfer from Division I Fordham, is shooting 39% from long distance and has a team-high 27 three-pointers.

Moye (21), Zubac (19), Williams (15) and Dawson (14) all scored in double figures during UB's win at D'Youville. The Purple Knights shot a season-best 50.7% from the field and scored a season-high 90 points.

SERIES HISTORY VS. BRIDGEPORT
All-Time Series: 7-8
At Daemen: 5-2
Current Streak: Lost 3
Last Meeting: Bridgeport 83, Daemen 74 | Feb. 7, 2020 | at Bridgeport, Conn.

DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know Sunday's game features two of the most successful coaches in Division II? Daemen's Mike MacDonald ranks 37th among active Division II coaches with 400 wins, while Bridgeport's Mike Ruane ranks 38th with 396.

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