Geoff Schneider

Men's Basketball Returns To Action With Non-League Games Saturday and Monday

No Spectator Policy In Place For Saturday's Game Against Cheyney

12/30/2022 11:17:00 AM

GAME #12
Daemen Wildcats (5-6) vs. Cheyney Wolves (2-10)
DATE: Saturday, Dec. 31
TIME: 12 p.m.
LOCATION: Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium
LIVE STATS: via Daemen Athletics / LIVE VIDEO: via ECC Network

GAME #13
Daemen Wildcats (5-6, 1-3 ECC) vs. Franklin Pierce Ravens (7-3, 3-2 NE-10)
DATE: Monday, Jan. 2
TIME: 1 p.m.
LOCATION: Rindge, N.H. | FPU Fieldhouse
LIVE STATS: via FPU Athletics / LIVE VIDEO: via NE-10 Network

JUMP BALL
Daemen returns to action with two non-league games. The Wildcats host Cheyney Saturday (Dec. 31), before traveling to Rindge, N.H. to face Franklin Pierce Monday (Jan. 2).

NO SPECTATOR POLICY FOR SATURDAY'S GAME
Daemen University officials have implemented a no spectator policy for Saturday's game against Cheyney. During the blizzard that crippled the Buffalo area this past weekend the Daemen campus sustained storm related damage. In addition, storm recovery efforts on campus have put a remarkable strain on the institution's support service staff during this campus holiday closure. Therefore, for everyone's safety the administration made the decision that the game be closed to any spectators. Anyone who has already purchased a ticket will be refunded.

LAST TIME OUT
Seniors Brandon and Bryan Powell combined for 34 points and 13 rebounds to lift the Pace to a 66-60 victory over Daemen at the Goldstein Recreation Center on the Pace campus on Dec. 19. Pace, a member of the Northeast-10 Conference, ran its winning streak to four-straight games and improved to 10-3. Daemen saw its two-game winning streak snapped and fell to 5-6. Both teams entered tonight's game ranked in the latest NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region poll. Pace is ranked sixth, while Daemen is ranked 10^th. Brandon Powell, a 6-foor-3 guard, drilled four three-pointers and totaled 18 points, seven rebounds, a block and three steals. Bryan Powell, a 6-foot-6 forward, added 16 points and six boards. Redshirt senior Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.) led the Wildcats, as he connected on 6-of-8 shots and totaled 15 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Senior Nick MacDonald (Amherst, N.Y.) went 3-of-6 from downtown and finished with 15 points and three assists.

CLOSE CALLS
Six of Daemen's 11 games have been decided by six points or less and the Wildcats are 1-5 in those contests. The Wildcats lost at the final buzzer against Mercyhurst (62-61) and opened ECC play with tight losses to Molloy (72-69) and Queens (70-65). The Wildcats also suffered a 72-70 loss at nationally-ranked Saint Thomas Aquinas and a 66-60 loss at regionally-ranked Pace.

A CHANGE FOR THE BETTER
After shooting just 33-percent (47-143) from the field overall and making just 5-of-41 three-pointers during back-to-back losses to Molloy and Queens, the Wildcats have shot over 51-percent from the field overall (116-227) and have canned 42-of-92 (46%) three-point attempts over the last four games.

200TH NCAA DIVISION II GAME
The game against Molloy back on Dec. 2 was Daemen's 200th as a NCAA Division II member. Since Daemen gained full NCAA status prior to the 2015-16 season, the Wildcats have posted a 143-62 record for a .700 winning percentage.

HOME SWEET HOME
Daemen has played eight of its first 11 games at Lumsden Gymnasium. The Wildcats are 84-18 (.824) at home during Daemen's NCAA Division II era (2015-present).

RETURN OF THE MAC
Mike MacDonald returns for his ninth season on Daemen's bench and his 26^th overall as a collegiate head coach. The veteran mentor has led Daemen to a 164-72 (.695) 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. He has won more games at Daemen than during previous stints as the head coach at Canisius (108 wins in nine seasons) and Medaille (149 wins in eight seasons). 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, 2021 was the 400th of his career.

NEW LOOK WILDCATS
Daemen returns 10 players from last year and welcomes six freshmen and three transfers. The Wildcats finished 20-9 overall and 16-2 in the ECC last year. The Wildcats suffered a 59-48 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas in the championship game of the ECC Tournament and were denied an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Daemen was looking to make its fourth-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Daemen must overcome the loss of center Andrew Sischo, a three-time All-America selection who closed out his career as the ECC's all-time leading scorer and rebounder. He averaged 22.9 points and a Division II leading 13.0 rebounds per game last year. Not to be overlooked, guard Sean Fasoyiro was also lost to graduation. Fasoyiro ranked second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg) last year and collected All-ECC honors in each of his two seasons at Daemen. Shooting guard Kyle Harris, who led the team in three-point field goals (58) last year, was also lost to graduation. Senior guards Ryan Salzberg (Manlius, N.Y.) and Nick MacDonald (Amherst, N.Y.), redshirt senior Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.) and junior guard Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) top the list of returning players. Salzberg started 26 games last year and averaged 7.3 points with a team-high 91 assists. MacDonald averaged 20 minutes off the bench and contributed 7.2 points per game with 43 three-pointers. Atkins played in 27 of 29 games last year and ranked second on the team in blocks (21). Mason started 23 games and ranked third on the team in points per game (9.1) and second in three-pointers (56).

MR. CONSISTENT
Senior Nick MacDonald (Amherst, N.Y.) has scored in double figures in 10 of the first 11 games and has drained at least one three-pointer in every game. He scored a career-high 20 points in a loss to Slippery Rock and is averaging a team-high 13.8 points. He ranks second on the team in three-pointers made (21) and second among the ECC leaders in free throw percentage (37-44/.841).

MINUTE MAN
Senior Ryan Salzberg (Manlius, N.Y.) has played at least 30 minutes in eight of the 11 games this season and is averaging 30.3 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 14 points in the loss to Molloy and is averaging 7.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and a team-high 2.7 assists per game.

BREAKOUT YEAR FOR ATKINS
Redshirt senior Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.) is off to the most productive start to a season of his collegiate career. After totaling just 131 points and 89 rebounds over his first two seasons (one at Jefferson, one and Daemen), he has already totaled 145 points and 76 rebounds this year. He totaled a career-high 19 points and a career-high 11 rebounds en route to his first career double-double during a loss to Queens on Dec. 4. The MVP of the season-opening East Region Challenge, he is second on the team in scoring (13.2 ppg) and leads the team in rebounding (6.9 rpg), steals (21) and blocks (24).

RECORD TYING EFFORT BY MASON
Junior Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) connected on 7-of-11 three-pointers and scored 21 points in a recent loss to St. Thomas Aquinas. The seven three-pointers tied Daemen's NCAA-era (2015-present) record for three-pointers in a game originally set by current assistant coach Jeff Redband. Redband made seven three-pointers in a game four times during his career, most recently on Feb. 7, 2020 during a loss at Bridgeport. Mason leads the team in minutes played per game (30.5) and is averaging 9.2 points. He ranks fourth among the ECC leaders in three-pointers made (26) and second in three-point field goal percentage (26-54/.481).

SUDDEN IMPACT
Junior transfer Dylan Fasoyiro (Houston, Tex.) has made immediate contributions in his first season with the Wildcats. Slowed by a preseason injury early in the year, he has averaged 26.0 minutes and 12.3 points (second on the team) over the last seven games. He also ranks third in rebounds per game (5.7) and is teid for second in steals (12) over the last seven games. He scored a career-high 18 points and also dished out a career-high five assists in a recent win over Mercy.

SOLID SIXTH MAN
Junior forward Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) has proven to be a solid sixth man this season. Sidelined by injury most of his first two seasons, he has played in 10 of 11 games this season and is averaging 18 minutes off the bench. He scored a career-high 13 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds during a win over Alliance en route to his first career double-double. He is tied for the team lead (with Fasoyiro) in offensive rebounds (27) and is averaging 6.2 points and 5.9 rebounds overall.

HEY ROOKIE
Freshman guard Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) had a successful collegiate debut, as he was also named to the all-tournament team following the season-opening East Region Challenge. He started both games and averaged 10.0 points and 25.5 minutes per game. He drilled three three-pointers and scored 15 points in the win over regionally-ranked Saint Anselm. Glover has started seven games and is averaging 5.6 points per game.

SUSTAINED SUCCESS
The Daemen program has been built on sustained success, winning at least 19 games in 10 of the last 11 seasons. That span encompasses the end of Daemen's NAIA Era, its NCAA transition period and the first seven seasons of full NCAA Division II membership. The Wildcats have won 72% of their contests, going 227-90 in that span.

ALL IN THE FAMILY
Coach MacDonald's son Nick is a senior guard at Daemen. He transferred to Daemen after playing his first two seasons at Division I Niagara. Also, junior guard Dylan Fasoyiro (Houston, Tex.) is the younger brother of Sean Fasoyiro, who played the last two seasons at Daemen and earned all-conference honors each year.

BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
Daemen earned three consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament berths from 2019 to 2021. 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 in the opening round. The Wildcats then upset top-seeded Saint Thomas Aquinas in the regional championship game en route to the program's first regional championship and Elite Eight appearance. Daemen posted a 20-9 record last year, but was denied an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

POLL POSITION
Daemen was voted first in the ECC preseason coaches' poll and was also receiving votes in the preseason NABC Division II poll. The Wildcats are receiving votes in the sixth D2SIDA East Region poll.

SCOUTING CHEYNEY
Cheyney is located an hour outside of Philadelphia and competes as an independent. The Wolves previously competed at the NCAA Division II level as a member of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, but left the PSAC and the NCAA prior to the 2018-19 academic year. Cheyney's 14-player rosters consists of eight freshmen, five sophomores and one junior. Terrell Stokes is in his second season as head coach. Stokes is familiar with NCAA Division II basketball, having previously spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach at East Coast Conference member District of Columbia. The Wolves dropped to 2-10 following a 79-36 loss at Alliance on Dec. 19. The Wolves are 0-5 against teams from the NCAA Division II East Region, having lost to Dominican (92-65), Caldwell (82-31), Holy Family (103-60), Goldey Beacom (83-59) and Alliance. Freshman guard Jalen Boyd-Savage has paced the Wolves thus far. He has scored in double figures in 11 of 12 games and is averaging a team-high 19.1 points. Additional production has come from sophomore forward Kian Nixon (9.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg). Nixon totaled 19 points and seven boards in the loss to Dominican.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. CHEYNEY
First Meeting

SCOUTING FRANKLIN PIERCE
Franklin Pierce is located in Rindge, N.H. and is a member of the Northeast 10 Conference. The Ravens return 11 players and three starters from last year's team that went 18-11 overall and 12-7 in the NE-10. FPU advanced to the championships of the NE-10 Tournament last year and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Ravens suffered a 76-69 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. David Chadbourne in his 24th season as head coach. The Ravens improved to 7-3 following an 82-65 win over Goldey-Beacom on Dec, 19. FPU plays at nationally-ranked Bentley tomorrow before hosting the Wildcats on Monday. The Ravens feature a balanced offense, with four starers averaging in double figures. Sophomore guard Mohamed Traore, a NE-10 All-Rookie Team selection last year, scored 17 points in the win over Goldey-Beacom and is averaging a team-high 13.4 points and a team-high 3.0 assists per game. Senior guard Brandon Kolek has made a team-high 29 three-pointers and is averaging 12.5 points. Additional production has come from junior forward Sean Bresnan (12.2 pg, 6.5 rpg) and sophomore forward Sean Trumper (10.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg). Trumper totaled 18 points and nine rebounds in the win over Goldey-Beacom. FPU was picked seventh in the NE-10 preseason coaches' poll.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. FRANKLIN PIERCE
Series Record: FPU, 1-0
At Daemen: FPU, 1-0
At FPU: 0-0
Last Meeting: FPU 83, Daemen 80 | Dec. 18, 2021 | Buffalo, N.Y. (KeyBank Center)

ON THE HORIZON
Daemen returns to East Coast Conference play Friday (Jan. 6) with a game at the College of Staten Island.

Daemen University features the premier 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.

Follow the Daemen men's basketball program on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @DaemenMBB.

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