NCAA DIVISION II MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP - EAST REGION FINALS
(#2 SEED) DAEMEN WILDCATS (9-5) vs. #11/#5 (#1 SEED) ST. THOMAS AQUINAS SPARTANS (14-1)
TUESDAY, MARCH 16
ALBANY CAPITAL CENTER (ALBANY, N.Y.) - 7 PM
NO SPECTATORS PERMITTED DUE TO COVID-19



















FASTBREAK POINTS
1. It's an all East Coast Conference final round of the NCAA Division II East Regional as second-seeded Daemen meets top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas for the right to advance to the Elite Eight. Daemen is in the regional final for the first time, while STAC has advanced this far three times now in the last four seasons. The Spartans won the region and went to the Elite Eight in 2017.

2. Daemen advanced to Tuesday's regional final with an 81-69 victory over third-seeded Bloomfield late Sunday evening. All five starters scored in double figures, led by redshirt senior center Andrew Sischo's 25 points. The Wildcats shot better than 50% from the field, 40% from the three-point line and 75% from the free throw line for the third time this season en route to the program's first ever NCAA tournament victory.  

3. St. Thomas Aquinas advanced to the regional final with a 95-72 victory earlier Sunday over fifth-seeded Caldwell. Osbel Caraballo (24 points in 20 minutes) and Grant Singleton (17 points in 18 minutes) led the way. The Spartans employed their customary pressure defense to force Caldwell into 22 turnovers. The Spartans lead the country in turnovers forced per game (20.4) while ranking second in turnover margin (7.6) and third in steals (10.2).

4. Daemen and STAC will be meeting for the fourth time this season. The teams split two regular season meetings in late February. Daemen's 84-81 overtime victory on Feb. 27 snapped the Spartans' 13-game winning streak. STAC regrouped for a 71-68 win the following day, and defeated Daemen one week later, 83-67, to claim their fifth ECC tournament championship in the last six seasons. Tuesday's meeting marks the sixth postseason meeting between Daemen and STAC – their first in the NCAA tournament.

5. Since the start of the 2013-14 season, STAC and Daemen rank first and second respectively in overall victories among all ECC teams. STAC's 181 wins in that span also rank first among all Division II teams in New York State, while Daemen's 159 wins ranks second. The two teams have also combined for nine NCAA tournament berths since 2016 (STAC 6, Daemen 3).  

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS SCOUTING REPORT

• St. Thomas Aquinas has been among the best NCAA Division II programs in recent years. From 2015-16 through 2019-20, the Spartans averaged 26.2 wins per season and won four of five ECC tournament championships. They've earned six straight NCAA tournament berths and enter Tuesday's regional final with a 14-1 record and ranked in both national polls.  
• Head coach Tobin Anderson has been the catalyst for STAC's rise, leading the Spartans to 181 wins since taking over in 2013- 14. No Division II team in New York State or in the ECC has won more games in that time.
• The Spartans return eight players, including four starters, from their 2019-20 team that went 25-5.
• Junior forward Osbel Caraballo and junior guard Demetre Roberts headline the Spartan returners after earning All-ECC first team honors last season when they combined for 32.5 points per game.
• Both Caraballo (16.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and Roberts (14.5 ppg, 4.6 apg) are producing again this season, while junior guard Grant Singleton has emerged as well. Singleton is the only player in the ECC 6-foot or smaller shooting better than 50% from the field (53.3%). He has made a team-high 33 three-point field goals (on 39.3% shooting) and is averaging a team-high 17.3 points per game – up from his 10.9 average last season.
• The Spartans have also been boosted by senior guard Elijah Bovell, a transfer from Queens, and freshman guard Jamal Barnes who are both producing 7.1 points per game.  
• Additional production is coming from senior guard Louis Griffith (8.3 ppg, 37.7% 3PT), and senior forward Kevin Lynch (6.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg). Lynch was named the ECC Co-Defensive Player of the Year in the ECC.
• STAC has employed its customary pressure defense this season, forcing opponents into 20.1 turnovers per game – best in Division II. The Spartans also rank third in steals per game (10.2) and their defense fuels an offense that is producing 90.8 points per contest. 

SERIES HISTORY VS. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
All-Time Series: STAC 18-7
At Neutral Site: STAC 4-0
In NCAA Tournament: 0-0
Current Streak: STAC won 2
Last Meeting: STAC 83, Daemen 67 | Mar. 7, 2021 | at Sparkill, N.Y. | ECC Championship Finals

DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that this is only the second time that two teams from the ECC (formerly the NYCAC) have met to decide the East Regional championship? It last occurred in 1999 vs. St. Rose avenged a loss in the conference tournament finals by defeating Adelphi. Tuesday's winner will become the ninth ECC team to advance to the Elite Eight.  

UNPRECEDENTED SEASON
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc upon collegiate sports with postponements, pauses and cancelations. Daemen, which experienced its own 10-day pause in team activities due to a positive COVID-19 test result, was out of action for 328 days before making their long-awaited season debut on Jan. 29 vs. Gannon. Daemen competed in 11 regular season games, including nine ECC contests. The limited schedule was comprised with the health and safety of all players, coaches and other Tier 1 personnel in mind, and in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines established by the NCAA. 

RETURN OF THE MAC
Mike MacDonald returns to the bench for his seventh season as Daemen's head coach, and his 24th overall as a collegiate head coach. Since beginning to roam the Daemen sidelines, MacDonald has led the Wildcats to a 138-56 overall record. The Wildcats have won at least 19 games in each of MacDonald's first six seasons, and the team's 129 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 Feb. 10, 2019 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 395-282.

SUSTAINED SUCCESS
The Daemen program has been built on sustained success, winning at least 19 games in each of the last nine seasons. In that span (2011-20), which encompasses the end of Daemen's NAIA Era, its' NCAA transition period and the first five seasons of full NCAA Division II membership, the Wildcats have won 70% of their contests, going 176-75. Looking more recently, Daemen is 70-22 in the last three seasons (.761 winning percentage), and their 89 wins in the last four seasons is the most successful four-year span in program history. 

BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
Daemen has earned a third consecutive NCAA tournament berth this season. The Wildcats won 24 games (NCAA Era program record) and earned at-large bids to the NCAA tournament in each of the two seasons prior. The team's 2019 bid was the first in program history, and the Wildcats made their NCAA tournament debut as the No. 5 seed in the East Region, falling in the opening round to fourth-seeded New Haven, 72-67. Daemen was awarded the No. 8 seed in the East Region, however the tournament was canceled before it even began due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

GOING STREAKING
Daemen has embarked on four winning streaks of at least nine games since the start of the 2018-19 season. Last season, the Wildcats put together an 11-game winning streak, covering games played Nov. 2 through Dec. 13 - the longest of Daemen's NCAA Era. 

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 nine seasons, including identical 15-1 records in the last two seasons which established a new program benchmark for homecourt victories. Dating back to the 2017-18 season, Daemen has won 42 of their last 46 home games. Since joining the ECC (2013-14 season), Daemen is 59-10 in home conference games (.855 win %). The Wildcats are also 70-13 at home during the program's NCAA era (.843 win %). In the 20 seasons from 2000-01 through 2019-20, the Wildcats won 83% of all home games, going 220-45. 

POLL POSITION
Daemen has been among the nationally ranked teams for the third straight season. The Wildcats have been ranked as high as No. 21 in the Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) national media poll and have also received votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) top-25 poll this season. The Wildcats have been ranked 18 times in the D2SIDA poll dating back to the 2018-19 season, rising as high as No. 8, a position they held for three successive weeks early last season. In addition, the Wildcats have been ranked in 34 of the last 35 D2SIDA East Region media polls.

WALKING THE STAGE
Daemen was hit hard by graduation in 2020, losing starters Breon Harris, Jay Sarkis, Jeff Redband and Joey Wallace who were each 1,000-point scorers as well as All-ECC honorees at one point or another. Harris, Sarkis and Redband were well entrenched in the Wildcats' lineup, combining for 330 games and 297 starts in their respective careers, and played key roles in leading Daemen to 89 wins. 

UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY
Daemen had won 17 consecutive season openers spanning 2002-18. That streak was snapped last season with their loss to No. 1 Northwest Missouri State. This season, back-to-back losses to Gannon put Daemen at 0-2 for the first time since the 2001-02 season.

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS
Redshirt senior center Andrew Sischo, the two-time East Coast Conference and East Region Player of the Year and a consensus All-American, headlines Daemen's returning players. Sischo has already cemented his place among Daemen's all-time great players by racking up 1,820 points, 906 rebounds and a program-record 722 field goals in his first three collegiate seasons. Sischo's 2019-20 season was one for the record books as well. He set Daemen and ECC records for points (773) and field goals (298) in a season, led the country in total rebounds (362) and double-doubles (22) and became the first Division II player since the 2010-11 season to average at least 24 points and 11 rebounds per game while shooting at least 64% from the field. He enters the season having scored 20+ points 45 times in his career, including a record 47-point outburst in the opening round of the ECC Championship tournament last March. Already this season, he's been named a Preseason All-American by Basketball Times, as well as the ECC Preseason Player of the Year - an honor he's now earned in three straight seasons. 

DOUBLE-DOUBLE YOUR DELIGHTMENT
Andrew Sischo has been a double-double machine throughout his career, racking up 58 of them in 102 games - the most for a Daemen player since Gerald Beverly totaled 46 double-doubles in his career spanning 2011-15. Since the start of his sophomore season, Sischo has recorded double-doubles in more than two-thirds of the games he's appeared in (50 double-doubles in 72 games). Sischo's 22 double-doubles in 2019-20 led all Division II players.  

BEST OF THE BEST
During Daemen's game vs. Roberts Wesleyan on Feb. 11, 2021, Andrew Sischo became the program's all-time leading scorer, surpassing the benchmark of 1,962 points set by Robert Robinson (1988-92). In 102 career games, Sischo has totaled 2,169 points and 1,072 rebounds. He stands as the only player in program history and one of only two players in ECC history with at least 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. He is Daemen's and the ECC's all-time leader in field goals with 861. Sischo ranks second in Daemen history in rebounding, and has placed himself among impressive company within ECC history, ranking second in scoring and third in rebounding.

MORE SISCHO
By eclipsing 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, Andrew Sischo has joined an elite fraternity of East Region players to reach both milestones:
 
Lambert Shell – Bridgeport – 3,001 / 1,345
John Grochowalski – Assumption – 2,489 / 1,756
Garret Kerr – U. Sciences – 2,434 / 1,391
Michael Allocco – Stonehill – 2,399 / 1,150
James Hector – American Int'l – 2,306 / 1,444
Jon Cronin – Stonehill – 2,301 / 1,044
Cleveland Woods – NH College – 2,247 / 1,170
Justin Reyes – St. Thomas Aq. – 2,247 / 1,144
Norman Taylor – Bridgeport – 2,170 / 1,232
Andrew Sischo – Daemen – 2,169 / 1,072
Mario Elie – American Int'l – 2,124 / 1,001
Peter Alexis – Philadelphia – 2,116 / 1,162
Wayne Robertson – NH College – 2,092 / 1,487
Ed Czernota – Sacred Heart – 2,075 / 1,317
Al Hicks – Keene Stat – 2,023 / 1,076

VETERAN PRESENCE
Daemen will turn to graduate transfer Sean Fasoyiro and senior guard Kyle Harris to provide a veteran presence on a relatively young roster. A 6-foot-3 guard, Fasoyiro appeared in 81 games over the last three seasons for Franklin Pierce, helping them to a 45-38 record. In 28 games last season, including eight starts, Fasoyiro produced career-highs in scoring (7.8 ppg), minutes (21.8 mpg), field goal percentage (45.7), three-point percentage (37.5), rebounding (5.0 rpg) and assists (1.3). The Wildcats have had success in recent years on the transfer market, getting successful one-year contributors such as Joey Wallace and Quinn Lee Yaw. Now in his second season with the program, Harris is Daemen's most experienced returning player after center Andrew Sischo. Harris appeared in all 32 games and made nine starts last season when he shot 38% from three-point range and averaged 4.4 points per game. 

ALL-WNY PEDIGREE
Mike MacDonald and his staff made a sizable dent in the available WNY talent pool by inking 6-foot guard Juston Johnson, 6-foot-6 forward Justin Hemphill and 5-foot-11 guard Tyler Hind in the program's 2020 recruiting class. Johnson and Hemphill represent the first All-WNY first team selections to commit to Daemen out of high school since Mark Coppola in 2010. Hind, a second team All-WNY brings a stellar resume of his own, including 2,244 points which ranks eighth all-time among WNY players. He also set a new WNY record with 400 three-pointers in his career and was named the New York State Class C Player of the Year as a senior.

585 ----> 716
Daemen has had great success recruiting out of the Rochester area through the years. In fact, of the 11 Daemen players that have earned All-ECC honors since the 2013-14 season, eight of them have been products of Section V high schools. The Wildcats are hoping for continued production from the Rochester pipeline as freshmen guards Andrew Mason and Tony Arnold join the list of Section V standouts to choose Daemen. Both were All-Greater Rochester selections who graduated as the all-time leading scorers at their respective high schools. Arnold led the Eastridge, the same school that produced former Daemen guard Supreme Hannah, to their first sectional title in some 56 years last winter. Daemen has signed 11 All-Greater Rochester players since 2010. 

HEY ROOKIE
Freshman guard Andrew Mason has twice earned ECC Rookie of the Week honors this season. Mason is the sixth Daemen player to be named ECC Rookie of the Week since the Wildcats joined the conference in 2013. Mason netted a career-high 25 points in Daemen's 103-69 win at D'Youville on Feb. 15 – the most for a Daemen freshman since the 2017-18 season when teammate Andrew Sischo posted a pair of 25+ point games.

OPTING OUT
Daemen has had eight players exercise their right to opt out of the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19. These players include guard Tajmin Holt, forward Ryan Bradley and center Chris Luke who all saw regular minutes last season. Each player's decision has been fully supported by the Daemen coaching staff and athletics administration.

A NEW STREAK
Daemen's 80-75 loss to Roberts Wesleyan on Feb. 11 snapped a series winning streak that had reached 20 games over a span of 10 years. It was the Redhawks' first win over Daemen since Feb. 15, 2011, and also their first home win in the series since Feb. 21, 2007. Daemen earned some redemption with an 85-69 win over RWC on Feb. 17 and a 78-72 triumph in the ECC Championship semifinals on Mar. 5. The Wildcats have won 29 of the last 31 meetings overall and 12 straight home meetings in the series.

HAVE MERCY
Daemen's 82-51 win over Mercy on Feb. 20 pushed the Wildcats to 16-0 all-time against the Mavericks. Their success in the series is tied for the program's longest active winning streak against any single opponent. Daemen has also won 16 straight meetings with former NAIA rival Houghton, but haven't met the Highlanders since the 2011-12 season.

BUDDING BUFFALO RIVALRY
After not playing since 2004, Daemen met crosstown rival D'Youville three times in as many weeks this season. The Wildcats posted wins in all three matchups, improving to 9-0 all-time in the series. D'Youville is in its first season as a member of the ECC as it transitions to NCAA Division II membership following a long history within Division III. With the two schools separated by less than 10 miles, the Daemen-D'Youville rivalry has the potential to be among the best in the ECC.

INSTANT CLASSIC
Daemen earned its most impressive win of the season on Feb. 2 by defeating #11/#5 St. Thomas Aquinas 84-81 in overtime. The Daemen win snapped STAC's 13-game winning streak and knocked the Spartans from the ranks of the unbeaten. Sean Fasoyiro scored off a miraculous feed from Andrew Mason to even the score at 71-71 with less than five seconds remaining in regulation. In the overtime period, Ryan Salzberg drilled back-to-back three-pointers inside of two minutes left to give Daemen the lead. Andrew Sischo logged 39 minutes – including the last 10 with four personal fouls – and totaled 28 points and 13 rebounds.

CHAMPIONSHIP QUEST
Daemen's quest for an elusive ECC tournament title will have to wait for another season after they lost 83-67 to nationally ranked St. Thomas Aquinas in the 2021 title game at Aquinas Hall on Mar. 7. It marked Daemen's second appearance in the final round of the ECC Championship, and the first since 2016 when they also fell to the Spartans. STAC used a 21-6 spurt over the final six minutes of the first half to seize control. Their lead ballooned to 21 points in the second half before Daemen cut it to 11, but the Wildcats could get no closer.

A WIN WORTH WAITING FOR
Daemen earned the first NCAA tournament victory in program history, defeating third-seeded Caldwell in the regional semifinals on Mar. 14. The win came a year to the day after Daemen was supposed to play in the NCAA tournament vs. Bridgeport before the 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wildcats, who made their NCAA tournament debut in 2019, have earned postseason bids in three successive seasons.

NEXT JUMP BALL
The winner of Tuesday's regional final will advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight which is slated for March 24-27 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.