Wildcats To Meet Nationally Ranked St. Thomas Aquinas For ECC Title

Rematch of 2021 ECC tournament finals

By CONTACT: Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for Communications/Operations | 716-839-8385 | mmiranto@daemen.edu

3/5/2022 7:30:00 PM

EAST COAST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP - FINALS
(#2 seed) Daemen Wildcats (20-8, 16-2 ECC) vs. #20/#18 (#1 seed) St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans (25-4, 17-1 ECC)
Sunday, Mar. 6 | 2:30 p.m. | Aquinas Hall | Sparkill, N.Y.

ECC Championship Central

Watch (ECC Network)

Tickets

Live Stats

JUMP BALL

For the sixth time in the last seven seasons, the Daemen Wildcats and St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans will meet in the East Coast Conference tournament. Some 364 days after they met to decide the 2021 conference title, they'll tip it up Sunday at Aquinas Hall with the same stakes on the line. Daemen, the tournament's No. 2 seed, advanced with an 85-70 defeat of Molloy in Saturday's second semifinal. Top-seeded STAC opened the day with an 84-64 win over fifth-seeded Roberts Wesleyan. The Wildcats and Spartans split their regular season series with each winning on the other's home floor. The game features the ECC's most consistent teams of late. Since Daemen joined the ECC in 2013, the Spartans and Wildcats rank first and second respectively in wins among all ECC and New York State Division II teams.

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.

THE ELUSIVE RING

Daemen is making its seventh consecutive ECC tournament appearance and seeking its first championship. The Wildcats are two-time ECC regular season champions (2013-14 & 2018-19) and have advanced to the semifinal round in all seven of their ECC tournament berths. Daemen has played in the tournament’s final round on two occasions, falling in 2016 and 2021 to St. Thomas Aquinas.

Mike MacDonald has won more than 70% of his games as Daemen's head coach

RETURN OF THE MAC
Mike MacDonald returns for his eighth season on Daemen's bench and his 25th overall as a collegiate head coach. The veteran mentor has led Daemen to a 159-65 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.

Andrew Sischo is among the greatest players in NCAA Division II history

Graduate student Andrew Sischo is arguably the most decorated Daemen student-athlete of all-time. He is the active leader in career points (2,864), rebounds (1,465) and double-doubles (83) 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 93 of his last 94 games, and has gone for 20+ points in 37 of his last 49 contests. He has led Division II in double-doubles in each of the last two seasons. Sischo was named the East Conference Player of the Year for an unprecedented fourth time.
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. Molloy (2/24) – appeared in his 130th game, more than any player in team history
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 (1,135).

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 2,864 points, he ranks 17th all-time. He also ranks fifth for career rebounding with 1,465 boards. He is the only player in NCAA Division II history with at least 2,800 points and 1,400 rebounds.

Career Scoring	Career Rebounding
13. Carl Hartman, Ald. Broaddus (2,959)	1. Major Jones, Albany St. (2,052)
14. Earl Monroe, Winston-Salem (2,935)	2. Clemon Johnson, FL A&M (1,494)
15. Bo Clark, UCF (2,886)	3. Wayne Robertson, So. NH (1,487)
16. Ed Murphy, Merrimack (2,874)	4. Carlos Terry, Winston-Salem (1,467)
17. Andrew Sischo, Daemen (2,864)	5. Andrew Sischo, Daemen (1,465)
18. Harrison Cleary, MN-Crookst. (2,822)	6. James Hector, American Int’l (1,446)
19. Bill Fennelly, Central Mo. (2,819)	7. Garret Kerr, USciences (1,391)

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 (2,864)
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)

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.

Sean Fasoyiro has made an incredible impact in just two seasons with the Wildcats

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 (583) in only 44 games. 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 30-14 overall record and a 23-4 mark in ECC play.

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 32nd 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.

DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY
SUSTAINED SUCCESS
BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
BEASTS OF THE EAST

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.

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 226-87 in that span. Looking more recently, Daemen is 100-36 since the start of the 2017-18 season (.735 winning percentage).

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.

Daemen owns a 133-42 record (.760 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.

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.
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.
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
SETTING THE PACE
WNY'S DIVISION II RIVALRY
HAVE MERCY

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).

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.

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.

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).

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).

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.

Men’s Basketball Ranked 8th In Final NCAA Regional Rankings

AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen College is the No. 8 team in the official NCAA Division II East Region rankings for men's basketball which were released this afternoon. It marks the last of three polls that will be released by the Regional Advisory Committee. The NCAA announces 10-team rankings for each of the eight regions across the country for three successive weeks leading up to the NCAA Championship selection announcement, which will be made this year on Sunday, March 6.

The East Region of NCAA Division II is comprised of teams from the East Coast Conference, the Northeast-10 Conference and the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. The eight-team NCAA Championships East Regional —one of eight regional tournaments that comprise the 64-team NCAA tournament—will consist of three automatic berths and five at-large selections, and it takes place March 12-15 at a site that is yet to be determined.

Bentley (20-4) of the Northeast-10 sits atop the NCAA Regional poll for the third straight week, while Franklin Pierce University (17-9), Saint Anselm College (17-9), Dominican College (20-6) and Pace University (19-8) round out the top five. The bottom five consists of the University of New Haven (17-8), St. Thomas Aquinas College (24-4), Daemen (19-8), Southern New Hampshire University (13-11) and Adelphi University (17-10).

Under the guidance of eighth-year head coach Mike MacDonald, the Wildcats have posted a 19-8 overall record so far this season, as well as a 16-2 mark in ECC play. Daemen owns an 18-5 in-region record this season and a 2-2 mark against teams included in this week's regional rankings—having defeated No. 5 Pace (83-72) and No. 7 St. Thomas Aquinas (73-61) and having lost to No. 2 Franklin Pierce (83-80) and St. Thomas Aquinas (75-70 OT). The Wildcats were scheduled to play No. 1 Bentley and No. 3 Saint Anselm, but those games were canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.

Daemen has won 14 of their last 16 contests and are coming off a 67-55 defeat of Queens College (N.Y.) in the regular season finale this past Saturday. The Wildcats will enter postseason play as the No. 2 seed in this week's ECC Championship tournament and will play in the semifinal round this Saturday, March 5 at 3:30 p.m. They await the winner of tonight's first round contest between third-seeded Molloy College sixth-seeded University of the District of Columbia. The semifinal and final rounds of the ECC Championship are being held at Aquinas Hall on the campus of St. Thomas Aquinas.

The St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans are longtime members of the East Coast Conference and are led by veteran head coach Tobin Anderson. Now in his ninth season at the helm, Anderson has led STAC to 206 wins, five ECC championships and six consecutive NCAA tournament berths.

The Spartans return three starters from their 2020-21 team that went 14-2 and advanced to the East Regional finals. Forward Osbel Caraballo (15.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and guards Demetre Roberts (16.0 ppg, 4.13apg) and Grant Singleton (11.7 ppg) are all 1,000-point scorers. All three have earned All-ECC honors this season, including first-team selections for Caraballo and Roberts.

Additional production is coming from Jamal Barnes (11.6 ppg, team-high 81 three-pointers) and Elijah Bovell (7.3 ppg).

STAC is employing their signature pressure defense again this season, ranking in the top five nationally for steals (10.2) and turnovers forced (18.2) per game. They turn defense into offense, averaging 87.0 points per game on an ECC-best 49% field goal shooting. The Spartans, who feature nine players averaging at least 5.0 points per game, have scored 100+ points five times this season.

The Spartans were picked first in the ECC preseason coaches' poll and entered the ECC tournament ranked in both Division II national polls (#20 NABC, #18 D2SIDA). The Spartans are also ranked seventh in the official NCAA Division II East Region poll.
STAC built a 46-19 halftime lead and cruised to an 84-64 win over fifth-seeded Roberts Wesleyan in Saturday's tournament semifinal. Sean Moore scored a team-high 18 points while Roberts and Singleton netted 15 apiece.
All-Time Series: 9-19
At St. Thomas Aquinas: 4-8
In ECC Tournament: 0-5
Current Streak: Lost 1
Last Meeting: St. Thomas Aquinas 75, Daemen 70 (OT) | Feb. 18, 2022 | at Amherst, N.Y.
DATE: FEBRUARY 18, 2022
LOCATION: AMHERST, N.Y. (LUMSDEN GYMNASIUM)
FINAL: ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 75, DAEMEN 70 (OT)

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS LEADERS: DEMETRE ROBERTS (28 PTS, 9/21 FG, 9/10 FT), GRANT SINGLETON (13 PTS, 6 REBS), ELIJAH BOVELL (10 PTS, 5/8 FG)

DAEMEN LEADERS: ANDREW SISCHO (31 PTS, 1½1 FG, 11 REBS), RYAN SALZBERG (16 PTS, 4 AST), SEAN FASOYIRO (13 PTS, 8 REBS, 4 AST)

Demetre Roberts scored 17 of his team-high 28 points in the second half and overtime to help the Spartans snap Daemen's 12-game winning streak.
Andrew Sischo gave Daemen a one-point lead (57-56) with 11 seconds remaining, but Roberts was fouled on STAC's next possession and split two free throws to send the game to overtime.
Daemen led 62-61 with 3:30 left in overtime, but Roberts hit a jumper to give STAC a lead they would never relinquish. The Spartans made 5-of-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to secure the win.
STAC finished with an advantage in points off turnovers (12-4), bench points (27-3), points in the paint (40-34) and fast break points (24-12).
STAC posted its first win at Lumsden Gymnasium since the 2017-18 season. The teams have met 14 times since the 2017-18 season and STAC owns an 8-6 advantage in those games.

Read More