Andrew Sischo leads Daemen into Saturday's game against regionally ranked Franklin Pierce at KeyBank Center

Daemen Hosts Franklin Pierce Saturday On Buffalo's Biggest Stage

Wildcats and Ravens meet at KeyBank Center as part of Big 4 Basketball Tripleheader

12/17/2021 1:45:00 PM

GAME #11
Daemen Wildcats (5-5, 3-0 ECC) vs. Franklin Pierce Ravens (6-3, 4-1 NE10)
Saturday, Dec. 18 | 11 a.m. | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, N.Y.
Watch (ECC Network)
Live Stats
Game Notes (PDF)
Tickets (all ticket sales online via Hometown Ticketing - no cash accepted on site)

BUFFALO'S BIGGEST STAGE
Daemen makes the second appearance in program history at KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo as they host a non-conference game against Northeast 10 Conference member Franklin Pierce. It marks the first-ever meeting between the Wildcats and Ravens and the game is part of the Big 4 Basketball Tripleheader with Division I contests between Niagara and Albany (2 p.m.) and Canisius and Buffalo (5 p.m.) to follow.

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 (2,447) and rebounding (1,234) 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 75 of his last 76 games, and has gone for 20+ points in 26 of his last 31 contests. He has 69 double-doubles in 114 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 (977). He passed Reyes for second on the ECC's all-time rebounding list during a 13-rebound outing vs. Mercyhurst. He needs 47 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 2,447 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 1,234 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 144-62 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 45 of their last 49 home games. Since joining the ECC (2013-14 season), Daemen is 61-10 in home conference games (.859 win %). The Wildcats are also 73-13 at home during the program's NCAA era (.849 win %). In the past 21 seasons, the Wildcats have won 83% of all home games, going 228-46.

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 72% of their contests, going 211-84 in that span. Looking more recently, Daemen is 85-33 since the start of the 2017-18 season (.720 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 118-39 record (.752 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.

A WIN TO REMEMBER
In Daemen's first-ever appearance at KeyBank Center (Nov. 23, 2019), guard Breon Harris nailed a go-ahead three-pointer with 32 seconds left and delivered a key steal in the waning seconds to lead the Wildcats past Wilmington, 83-81. Harris finished with 21 points while Andrew Sischo netted a game-high 24.

YOU CAN COME HOME AGAIN
Saturday's game at KeyBank Center will be a return of sorts for Daemen head coach Mike MacDonald who has coached in more than 40 games at the downtown arena, including time spent as an assistant coach. MacDonald is the all-time leader in coaching wins in the building with a 18-11 career record there. The first 28 of those games came during his stint as the head coach at Canisius from 1997-2006. MacDonald made his return to the downtown arena in 2019 when he guided the Wildcats to an 83-81 win over Wilmington. The return was 14 years in the making, his first since the 2005 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament.

SCOUTING FRANKLIN PIERCE
Franklin Pierce is a member of the Northeast 10 Conference and the Ravens are led by veteran head coach David Chadbourne. Now in his 23rd season at the helm, Chadbourne has led the Ravens to more than 300 wins and three NCAA tournament berths, including the 2013 East Regional championship.

The Ravens were limited to just two games during the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but return nine players. They've gotten off to a great start, winning six of their nine contests. FPU was picked sixth (out of seven) in the NE10 Northeast Division preseason poll, but already own wins over Saint Anselm, Bentley, Stonehill and Southern New Hampshire – teams picked first through fourth. The Ravens enter Saturday's game ranked fifth in the D2SIDA East Region media poll.

Junior guard Isaiah Moore has quarterbacked an explosive FPU offense so far this season. The Maryland native is shooting 55% from the field and 42% from three-point range while averaging 24.7 points and 5.0 assists per game. Moore has gone for 30+ points three times, including a season-high 35 in a 92-68 defeat of NE10 favorite Saint Anselm.

Freshman guard Mohamed Traore (14.3 ppg) and junior forward Maxwell Zegarowski (13.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg) are also producing for the Ravens. Zegarowski scored 14 points and added 14 rebounds in FPU's 68-63 overtime win over Stonehill earlier this week.

FPU is averaging 10.6 made three-pointers game, good for 18th in the country. They've won four straight games, all by five points or less including two overtime victories.

SERIES HISTORY VS. FRANKLIN PIERCE
All-Time Series: 0-0

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