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top 10 moments sischo milestones

Top 10 Moments of 2020-21: Sischo's Milestone Month

7/16/2021 3:30:00 PM

By: CONTACT: Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications | (716) 839-8385 | mmiranto@daemen.edu
AMHERST, N.Y. - On Wednesdays and Fridays this summer, daemenwildcats.com will feature stories that look back upon the top 10 moments of the 2020-21 season. Record-setting performances, important wins and history-making achievements will be documented in the series.

THE MOMENT:
Sischo's Milestone Month
Andrew Sischo's place in the annals of great basketball players to come through Daemen was already well established, but the 6-foot-9 center went ahead and cemented his legacy even further during the 2020-21 season. Specifically during the month of February, Sischo broke records and shattered milestones despite the circumstances of playing a reduced schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

After averaging 32.3 points in the first four games of the season, Sischo put himself on the cusp of becoming Daemen's all-time leading scorer. He entered the Wildcats' Feb. 11 contest at rival Roberts Wesleyan just 13 points shy of the record - 1,962 points - set by 1992 graduate Robert Robinson. Sischo netted 12 first-half points, helping the Wildcats to a one-point halftime lead in what was their third game in four nights. His milestone moment came at the 12:03 mark of the second half as he executed a pick-and-roll, accepted a feed from sophomore guard Ryan Salzberg and finished inside through some traffic. He would finish the night with a team-highs of 20 points and 11 rebounds, albeit in a rare loss to the Redhawks - Daemen's first since 2011. Sischo would exact some revenge when the teams met six days later, scoring 30 points and grabbing 17 boards in a 16-point victory. 

With the Daemen scoring title officially on his résumé, Sischo was poised to become only the second player in East Coast Conference history to reach 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds for a career. He did so in the same game, an 82-51 rout of Mercy on Feb. 20 in which Sischo played just 30 minutes - his second lowest of the season. He entered the contest with 1,999 career points and joined the 2,000-point club with a bang. His two-handed dunk off a feed from Sean Fasoyiro was part of a game-opening 16-4 spurt that put the Wildcats in control. He later added his 1,00th career rebound, becoming just the third player in program history to accomplish the feat, and the first since Gerald Beverly in 2015. 

"If you had told us when we recruited him... 'hey, this guy is going to come in and get you 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds,' the guys coming behind us would've been the drug testing people to see what the heck we were on, because you wouldn't think that. But, he has worked. He has found his niche," said head coach Mike MacDonald following the Mercy victory.

"He's a special, special player," MacDonald continued. "I'll continue to say it. No disrespect to all the other great players who have been here at Daemen - and there have been great, great players - I think you've got to put him at the top of the list, without a doubt, for what he's done, the level he's on, the places we've played and where we've played." 

The milestone month continued as Sischo worked his way towards another ECC record. Already Daemen's all-time leader in made field goals, Sischo became the ECC leader when he shot 12-for-14 and scored a game-high 26 points in a 71-68 loss to nationally ranked St. Thomas Aquinas in both teams' regular season finale on Feb. 28. He passed the record of 825 field goals set by STAC's Justin Reyes from 2014-18, also the only other 2,000-point/1,000-rebound player in conference history. At season's end, Sischo stood with 882 career field goals. 

The assault on both the Daemen and ECC record books figures to continue next winter as Sischo will return to the lineup, utilizing an additional season of eligibility granted to student-athletes because of the pandemic. With 2,223 points and 1,101 rebounds, Sischo will enter his final collegiates season as the active leader in both categories among all Division II players. He needs just 25 points to surpass Reyes' ECC record of 2,247 points. He stands just three rebounds shy of becoming Daemen's all-time leader, a record held by Alex Nwora since 1993. The ECC record of 1,280 boards held by Damon Reed of St. Rose is also within reach. 

MORE COVERAGE
Andrew Sischo Bio
Sischo Becomes All-Time Leading Scorer In Rare Loss To Rival Redhawks
Sischo's Milestone Day Headlines Wildcat Romp Of Mercy

LOOK BACK - ADDITIONAL TOP 10 MOMENTS OF 2020-21

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 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.

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