Geoff Schneider

Wildcats Hit The Road This Weekend For ECC Games At St. Thomas Aquinas and Mercy

12/8/2022 11:03:00 AM

GAME #8
Daemen Wildcats (3-4, 0-2 ECC) vs. #25 St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans (7-1, 2-0 ECC)
DATE: Friday, Dec. 9
TIME: 7:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Sparkill, N.Y. | Alumni Hall
LIVE STATS: via STAC Athletics / LIVE VIDEO: via ECC Network

GAME #9
Daemen Wildcats (3-4, 0-2 ECC) vs. Mercy Mavericks (2-6, 1-1 ECC)
DATE: Sunday, Dec. 11
TIME: 2 p.m.
LOCATION: Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. | Victory Gymnasium
LIVE STATS: via Mercy Athletics / LIVE VIDEO: via ECC Network / TICKETS: via Mercy Athletics

JUMP BALL
Daemen plays its first East Coast Conference road games of the year when the Wildcats travel to St. Thomas Aquinas (Dec. 9) and Mercy (Dec. 11) this weekend.

CLOSE CALLS
Three of Daemen's four losses have been decided by five points or less. The Wildcats lost at the final buzzer against Mercyhurst (62-61) and opened ECC play this past weerkend with tight losses to Molloy (72-69) and Queens (70-65). Daemen has shot 46-percent (78-171) overall and 42-percent (26-62) from behind the arc during its three wins, but has shot just 35-percent (86-249) from the field overall and 22-percent (17-78) from three-point land during the four losses.

200TH NCAA DIVISION II GAME
Last Friday's game marked 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 141-60 record for a .701 winning percentage. Daemen is 99-34 (.724) against ECC teams since the 2015-16 season.

HOME SWEET HOME
Daemen played six of its first seven games at Lumsden Gymnasium. The Wildcats are 83-18 (.822) at home during Daemen's NCAA Division II era (2015-present).

BALANCED ATTACK
The Wildcats feature a balanced attack, with eight players averaging over 10 minutes a game. Senior Nick MacDonald (Amherst, N.Y.) has scored in double figures in all seven games and netted a career-high 20 points in a loss to Slippery Rock. He ranks 33rd nationally in free throw percentage (32-35/.914) and averaging a team-high 15.1 points. Redshirt senior Joey Atkins Watervliet, N.Y.) has scored in double figures in six of the first seven games and is averaging 13.9 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds. He has also recorded a team-high 12 steals and ranks 10th nationally in blocks per game (2.57). Atkins, who scored in double figures just once all of last season, recorded his first career double-double (career-high 19 pts, career-high 11 rebs) in the loss to Queens this past Sunday. Junior transfer Dylan Fasoyiro (Houston, Tex.) and junior Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) have provided a spark off the bench in recent games. Fasoyiro totaled 31 points and 18 rebounds in the losses to Molloy and Queens last weekend. Hemphill totaled hios first career double-doiuble (13 pts, 11 rebs) in a recent win over Alliance. Additional production has come from senior Ryan Salzberg (Manlius, N.Y.) and junior Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.). Salzberg scored a season-high 14 points in the loss to Molloy and is averaging 7.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and a team-high 2.6 assists per game. Mason drilled four three-pointers and scored 12 points in the win over Alliance and is averaging 6.4 points with 11 three-pointers. Freshman Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) has started all seven games and scored a season-high 15 points in the win over Saint Anselm.

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 162-70 (.698) 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).

ATKINS NAMED ECC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Redshirt senior Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.) was selected the ECC Men's Basketball Player of the Week for games played Nov. 7-13. Atkins was also named Most Valuable Player following the East Region Challenge. Atkins connected on 6-of-10 shots and totaled 15 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks in a 65-60 season opening win over Georgian Court University. The redshirt senior forward followed up with 14 points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals and four blocks to lead the Daemen to an 81-69 victory over Saint Anselm College in a battle of regionally-ranked teams. Over the two games he shot 60-percent (12-20) from the field and averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocks.

ALL-TOURNAMENT FOR MACDONALD
Senior guard Nick MacDonald (Amherst, N.Y.) was named to the all-tournament team following the season-opening East Region Challenge. He scored 16 points in each game, averaged 5.0 rebounds and canned 13-of-14 free throws.

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.

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 tied for ninth in the fourth D2SIDA East Region poll.

SCOUTING ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
St. Thomas Aquinas returns just five players from last year's team that went 28-5 overall and 17-1 in the ECC. The Spartans claimed their third-straight ECC Tournament title following a 59-48 victory over Daemen in the title game and earned their seventh-straight trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament. STAC advanced to the NCAA Tournament East Regional championship game, where it dropped an 82-75 decision to host Bentley. Matt Capell, a long-time assistant coach at STAC, is in his first season as head coach. The Spartans are ranked third in the D2SIDA East Region poll and are receiving votes in the D2SIDA national poll. STAC is currently ranked No. 25 in the NABC Division II national poll. The Spartans are riding a four-game winning streak and opened ECC play with wins over District of Columbia (83-78) and Staten Island (66-52) last week. Freshman James Patterson has made an immediate impact and leads the team in scoring (17.4 ppg) and rebounding (8.4 rpg). A three-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection, he totaled 26 points and 12 rebounds in an 88-87 win at Le Moyne. Redshirt junior guard DaVante Jamison scored 18 points in the win over UDC and is averaging 12.7 points and 5.8 assists per game. Additional production has come from redshirt senior Antonio Vendola (12.1 ppg, 17 3pt FGs) and junior Jamal Barnes (11.9 ppg, 26 3pt FGs). STAC was picked second in the ECC preseason coaches' poll.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. STAC
Series Record: STAC, 18-9
At Daemen: STAC, 6-4
At STAC, STAC, 8-4
At Neutral Site: STAC, 4-1
Last Meeting: STAC 59 Daemen 48 | March 6, 2022 | at Sparkill, N.Y. (ECC Tournament Championship)

SCOUTING MERCY
Mercy returns eight players and four starters from last year's team that went 6-19 overall and 6-12 in the ECC last year. Chris Watts was named interim head coach in October. The Mavericks opened ECC play with a 69-67 win over Staten Island, before suffering back-to-back losses to District of Columbia (81-69) and Chestnut Hill (66-64). Mercy hosts D'Youville Friday night before taking on Daemen Sunday. Senior guard James Taylor, Jr. totaled 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the win over Staten Island and is averaging a team high 12.3 points. Graduate transfer Sean Smith, Jr. is averaging 11.7 points, while junior Jayden Dewaal is contributing 10.9 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds per game. The Mavericks have four players with at least 10 three-pointers on the year and rank third among ECC teams in three-pointers made (60). Mercy was picked eighth in the ECC preseason coaches' poll.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. MERCY
Series Record: Daemen, 18-0
At Daemen: Daemen, 9-0
At Mercy: Daemen, 8-0
At Neutral Site: Daemen, 1-0
Last Meeting: Daemen 84, Mercy 47 | Feb. 20, 2022 | at Amherst, N.Y.

ON THE HORIZON
Daemen begins a busy stretch of three non-conference games in the span of six days on Wednesday (Dec. 14) when the Wildcats hosts Clarion of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The game was originally scheduled for Nov. 19, but was postponed due to the winter storm that his the Western New York region that weekend.

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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