Andrew Mason is one of only two players in the ECC to be shooting at least 45% both overall and from three-point range

Cat Fight: Wildcats & Lions Meet Thursday On Long Island

Wildcats remain in the hunt for No. 1 conference tournament seed entering penultimate regular season contest

2/23/2022 11:35:00 AM

GAME #26
Daemen Wildcats (18-7, 15-1 ECC) vs. Molloy Lions (9-16, 8-8 ECC)
Thursday, Feb. 24 | 6 p.m. | Quealy Gymnasium | Rockville Centre, N.Y.

Watch (ECC Network)
Live Stats
Game Notes (PDF)

JUMP BALL
Daemen heads to Long Island to face Molloy on Thursday night in the penultimate game of the 2021-22 regular season. The Wildcats have won 13 of their last 14 games and have already clinched a top two seed in next month's ECC Championship tournament. The Wildcats, who are seeking a fifth straight win against the Lions, enter the game in a tie for first place in the ECC standings. A win Thursday would give Daemen an opportunity to clinch at least a share of the ECC regular season title in Saturday's finale at Queens.

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 leader in career points (2,775), rebounds (1,425) and double-doubles (80) across all NCAA divisions. 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 record) and rebounding (13.0 rpg). Sischo has scored 10+points in 90 of his last 91 games, and has gone
for 20+ points in 34 of his last 46 contests. He 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
It's been another season filled with milestone moments for Daemen big man Andrew Sischo. In the course of the season, he has:

vs. MSU Moorhead (10/29) – became Daemen's all-time leading rebounder
vs. Colorado Mesa (10/30) – became the ECC's all-time leading scorer
vs. Pace (1/5) – recorded 2,500th career point
vs. D'Youville (1/8) – became the ECC's all-time leading rebounder; became the all-time leading scorer from a WNY collegiate institution
vs. Mercy (2/20) – tied the program record for games played (129)

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 with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, and holds Daemen and ECC records for career field goals (1,102).

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 against Pace on Jan. 5, Sischo became just the 34th player in NCAA Division II history to reach 2,500 points in a career. With 2,775 points, he ranks 18th all-time. Sischo is on pace to reach 2,800 points, something only 17 other Division II players have achieved. He also ranks sixth for career rebounding with 1,425 boards. Sischo has a chance to finish his career among the top five rebounders in Division II history.

THE EMPIRE STATE'S CENTER
On Jan. 8 at D'Youville, Andrew Sischo passed Niagara legend Calvin Murphy for the most points scored by a men's basketball player at a Western New York collegiate institution. On Jan. 28 vs. Staten Island, he passed Geneseo's Scott Fitch to become the all-time leading scorer for all NCAA men's basketball programs in NY State.

All-Time Scoring – NY State NCAA Teams
1. Andrew Sischo, Daemen (2,775)
2. Scott Fitch, Geneseo (2,634)
3. Terrance Bailey, Wagner (2,591)
4. Mike Hoyt, Mt. St. Mary (2,586)
5. Calvin Murphy, Niagara (2,548)
6. Steve Burt, Iona (2,534)
7. Charles Jenkins, Hofstra (2,513)

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 157-64 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 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 nine of the last 11 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 52 of their last 58 home games. Since joining the ECC (2013-14 season), Daemen is 67-11 in home conference games (.859 win %). The Wildcats are also 80-15 at home during the program's NCAA era (.842 win %). In the past 21 seasons, the Wildcats have won 83% of all home games, going 235-48.

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).

BACK FOR MORE
Like teammates Andrew Sischo and Sean Fasoyiro, Buffalo native Kyle Harris elected to utilize an additional season of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Harris, who began his career at Erie Community College, has appeared in 61 games and made 36 starts (27 consecutive). He was a Second Team All-ECC selection in 2020-21 when he averaged 12.5 points per game.

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 224-86 in that span. Looking more recently, Daemen is 98-35 since the start of the 2017-18 season (.737 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 131-41 record (.762 winning percentage) in games against East Region opponents since the start of the 2014-15 season. That includes a combined 27-9 mark (.750 winning percentage) against affiliates of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference and Northeast 10 Conference.

GROUNDING THE REDHAWKS
Daemen has swept the season series with longtime rival Roberts Wesleyan, including a 101-71 rout on Feb. 2. The Wildcats have won 31 of the last 33 meetings dating back to the 2007-08 season. That includes wins in 13 straight meetings at Lumsden Gymnasium.

BUFFALO'S BIGGEST STAGE
For the second time in the last three seasons, Daemen got the opportunity to play at the KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo. The 19,000-seat arena has served as the host site for the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament six times since opening in 1996 in addition to being the home of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres. Daemen's most recent trip was not as successful as the first. The Wildcats dropped an 83-81 decision to regionally ranked Franklin Pierce on Dec. 18. The game was played as part of the Big Four Basketball Tripleheader which also featured Division I contests between Niagara and Albany and also Canisius and Buffalo. Daemen made their KeyBank Center debut with an 83-81 win over Wilmington on Nov. 23, 2019. Daemen head coach Mike MacDonald is the all-time leader in coaching wins in the building with an 18-12 record there.

COVID RAGES ON
Daemen has had seven games affected by COVID-19 protocols this season. Upon returning from their season-opening trip to Texas, the Wildcats were forced into a pause of team activities that cost them a pair of exhibition games (Nov. 4 at Buffalo, Nov. 8 vs. Medaille) as well as two home games which were to be played as part of the East Region Challenge (Nov. 12 vs. USciences, Nov. 13 vs. Bentley). COVID-19 again came into play following the NCAA-mandated holiday break as the Wildcats lost home games with Stonehill (Dec. 30) and Saint Anselm (Jan. 1) as well as a road contest at Clarion (Jan. 3).

SETTING THE PACE
Daemen returned to action following a two-week hiatus and scored an 83-72 win over regionally ranked Pace on Jan. 5. The Setters were the eighth opponent Daemen has faced that has been ranked within their respective D2SIDA regional polls. Andrew Sischo scored 15 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and Nick MacDonald scored a season-high 18 points in 22 minutes off the bench. MacDonald and sophomore guard Andrew Mason accounted for eight of the Wildcats' season-high 11 three-pointers. The Wildcats came into the game averaging just 10.8 made free throws per game but posted season-highs in free throws made (22) and attempted (24) while outscoring Pace by 19 points at the charity stripe.

WNY'S DIVISION II RIVALRY
Western New York's newest Division II rivalry has been a one-sided affair with Daemen defeating D'Youville in all five meetings since the Saints joined the ECC last season. The Wildcats scored a 92-76 win at D'Youville on Jan. 8 with five players reaching double figures, led by Andrew Sischo (36 points) and Kyle Harris (18 points). The teams met again Feb. 9 with Daemen racing to a 97-52 victory. Sean Fasoyiro (15 points) led another quintet of double-figure scorers while Sischo notched yet another double-double (13 points, 21 rebounds). The 45-point victory margin tied the most lopsided win of Daemen's NCAA era.

A SWEET REMATCH
On Jan. 21, Daemen picked up a 73-61 win at St. Thomas Aquinas in a rematch of both the ECC Championship and East Regional finals from a season ago. Kyle Harris sunk five three-pointers and scored a season-high 19 points to lead the way. Sean Fasoyiro netted 15 points and Andrew Sischo contributed yet another double-double (12 points, 16 rebounds) as the Wildcats never trailed. The Wildcats and Spartans have developed one of the ECC's best rivalries in recent years with Daemen winning four of the last seven meetings. STAC secured its fifth ECC title in the last six seasons with an 83-67 win over the Wildcats last March. Daemen exacted revenge just over a week later in the regional finals, also known as the "Sweet 16", winning 71-70 at the Albany Capital Center to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in the program's NCAA era. The programs rank first (STAC) and second (Daemen) in wins among ECC and all NY State Division II teams since the start of the 2013-14 season. In that span, Daemen is one of only two teams with four wins at STAC's Aquinas Hall (also Bridgeport).

HAVE MERCY
Daemen swept their season series with Mercy, pushing the Wildcats to 18-0 all-time against the Mavericks. It is Daemen's longest active winning streak against any single opponent. In the series, 13 meetings have been decided by 10 points or more, including the last six in a row. Daemen also owns a pair of one-point wins over the Mavericks. Mercy is one of four ECC teams that Daemen has won at least a nine-game active winning streak against (11 straight wins vs. D'Youville, 10 straight wins vs. Queens and District of Columbia).

FASOYIRO MILESTONE
Graduate student Sean Fasoyiro scored the 1,000th point of his career in Daemen's win over D'Youville on Feb. 9. Fasoyiro netted 494 points in 81 games over three seasons at Franklin Pierce. In his two seasons at Daemen, he has produced more points (513) in less than half the games played (39). Fasoyiro is the second Daemen player in the last three seasons to surpass 1,000 career points after beginning his career elsewhere (also Joey Wallace in the 2019-20 season). Fasoyiro has started every game since the start of the 2020-21 season, leading Daemen to a 27-12 overall record and a 21-2 mark in ECC play.

WORKING OVERTIME
Daemen's 12-game winning streak came to an end Feb. 18 when St. Thomas Aquinas (#21 in D2SIDA poll) earned a 75-70 overtime win at Lumsden Gymnasium. Andrew Sischo netted 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Ryan Salzberg tossed in 16 points, but it wasn't enough. The Wildcats had trouble bottling up STAC guard Demetre Roberts who scored 28 points, including eight of the Spartans' 18 points in the extra period. It was Daemen's first overtime game since an 84-81 win at STAC during the 2020-21 season.

WHAT'S TRENDING

Daemen is likely to need wins in both games this week to secure the No. 1 seed in next month's conference tournament. The Wildcats have finished third or better in all nine seasons since joining the ECC and are looking for their third regular season title.
Andrew Mason has made at least two three-pointers in 19 of his 23 games this season. He also ranks fifth in the ECC with 55 three-point field goals and is one of only two players in the league shooting at least 45% from both the field and three-point range.
Daemen is 12-3 this season when Sean Fasoyiro records at least three assists. He is one of only three players in the ECC to be averaging at least 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.
Andrew Sischo continues to lead the ECC in both scoring (22.1 ppg) and rebounding (13.0 rpg). He is the only ECC player averaging a double-double.
Nick MacDonald is shooting 50% from three-point range over the last five games. Daemen is 7-1 this season when he scores 10+ points.
After reaching double figures once in his first 15 games this season, Ryan Salzberg has scored 10+ points in four of the last eight games.
Daemen has shot better than 50% from the field in eight of the last 11 games. In that span, they are 342-for-677 (50.5%).
Daemen has made 10 or more three-pointers in eight of the last 13 games. The Wildcats are shooting 41.9% from downtown (129-for-308) in that span.
Daemen is the only Division II team to presently rank in the top 15 for both three-point field goal percentage (39.3% - 14th) and three-point field goal percentage defense (27.9% - 3rd).

SCOUTING MOLLOY
The Molloy Lions are longtime members of the East Coast Conference and are led by veteran head coach Charles Marquardt. The elder statesman among ECC coaches, Marquardt is in his 28th season at the helm and has more than 300 victories in his career. The Lions return 11 players and four starters from their team that finished 3-8 overall and 2-6 in ECC play during the COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 season.

Despite winning just one of nine non-conference games, the Lions have been solid in ECC play and have already clinched a berth in next month's conference tournament. They remain in contention for a top-four seed and an opening round home game. They have won two straight games, most recently scoring an 87-84 triumph at Roberts Wesleyan. In that victory, the Lions connected on 10-of-21 from three-point range and shot better than 50% overall for just the third time this season.

Darren Fergus, a 6-foot-1 guard, has started 34 of 35 games since the start of last season and leads the team in scoring (14.7 ppg) and assists (3.9 apg) while leading team in assists (3.7 apg). Fergus has scored 10+ points in seven straight games, including a season-high 28 against St. Thomas Aquinas on Feb. 9.
Junior forward William Muller appeared in 50 games for Molloy from 2018-20 but did not compete last season. He is producing career-high numbers (14.5 ppg, team-high 6.6 rpg) since returning.

Additional production is coming from senior guard Steven Torre (10.9 ppg) and junior guard Frankie Phelan (7.7 ppg). Torre, who did not play in Molloy's last game with Daemen, has a team-high 37 three-pointers and has scored 20+ points three times since mid-January.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MOLLOY
All-Time Series: 11-5
At Molloy: 5-3
Current Streak: Won 4
Last Meeting: Daemen 93, Molloy 59 | Jan. 14, 2022 | at Amherst, N.Y.

DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know Daemen is averaging 91.3 points with an average margin of 18.8 points in their four-game winning streak vs. Molloy? Five of the prior six meetings were decided by four points or less.

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