Geoff Schneider

Men's Basketball Closes Out Non-League Play Monday Against Assumption

1/8/2023 11:00:00 AM

GAME #15
Daemen Wildcats (8-6, 3-2 ECC) vs. Assumption Greyhounds (5-9, 1-7 NE-10)
DATE: Monday, Jan. 9
TIME: 12 p.m.
LOCATION: Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium
LIVE STATS: via Daemen Athletics / LIVE VIDEO: via ECC Network / TICKETS: via Daemen Athletics

JUMP BALL
Daemen closes out its non-conference schedule with a home game against Assumption of the Northeast-10 Conference on Monday afternoon. The game was originally scheduled for Dec. 17, but was postponed due to weather.

LONG TIME NO SEE
Monday's game will mark just the second all-time meeting between Daemen and Assumption. The Greyhounds prevailed in the first-ever meeting, 85-50, during the 2002-03 season at Assumption. Assumption will be making its first ever appearance at Lumsden Gymnasium.

TEMPORARY SPECTATOR POLICY
Due to damage that occurred during Winter Storm Elliott in December, Daemen University has closed Duns Scotus Hall for repairs. While we have taken all necessary precautions to secure the building, we must make alternate arrangements for spectators who normally enter Lumsden Gymnasium through Duns Scotus Hall. Until further notice, all spectators attending athletic events at Lumsden Gymnasium are required to enter through the lobby doors on the Main Street side of the building. This is the only point of entrance and exit unless there is an emergency. Spectators are encouraged to park in Parking Lot A near the Main Street entrance to campus. Parking on Main Street in front of Lumsden Gymnasium is also available and there are sidewalks from both locations leading to the Lumsden Gymnasium lobby entrance. Daemen Athletics thanks our fans and other guests for their adherence to this policy.

LAST TIME OUT
Junior Dylan Fasoyiro (Houston, Tex.) erupted for a career-high 31 points to lead the Daemen to a 79-75 victory over the College of Staten Island this past Friday in East Coast Conference action at the Sports & Recreation Center on the CSI campus. Daemen has now won five of its last six games and improved to 8-6 overall and 2-3 in the ECC. CSI, which is in year two of its transition from NCAA Division III to Division II, dropped to 3-10 overall and 1-3 in the league. Daemen entered tonight's game receiving votes in the latest NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) East Region poll. Fasoyiro, whose previous career-high was 18 points during a win at Mercy College last month, connected on 10-of-17 shots overall and made 4-of-5 from downtown. He scored 19 of his 31 points in the second half and also contributed four rebounds, three steals and two assists. Junior Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) netted 15 points for the second consecutive game. He played 37 minutes, went 3-of-5 from three-point land and grabbed five rebounds. Redshirt senior Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.) connected on 5-of-8 shots and totaled 11 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Junior Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) added 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocks in just 17 minutes off the benc, while enior Ryan Salzberg (Manlius, N.Y.) played 36 minutes and contributed six points, six rebounds and a season-high six assists.

CLOSE CALLS
Eight of Daemen's 14 games have been decided by eight points or less and the Wildcats are 3-5 in those contests. The Wildcats lost at the final buzzer against regionally-ranked 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. Daemen defeated regionally-ranked Franklin Pierce 59-71 last Monday and capped the week with a 79-75 win at Staten Island.

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 50-percent from the field overall (196-391) and have canned 69-of-152 (45%) three-point attempts over the last seven games.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Daemen leads the ECC in team defense (65.4 papg) and ranks third in field goal percentage defense (.425). The Wildcats have held five of their last six opponents to less than 70 points and are 7-2 overall this season when they allow 70 points or less.

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 146-62 record for a .702 winning percentage.

HOME SWEET HOME
Daemen has played eight of its first 14 games at Lumsden Gymnasium. The Wildcats are 85-18 (.825) 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 167-72 (.699) 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 12 of the first 14 games and has drained at least one three-pointer in 13 of 14 games. He scored a career-high 20 points in a loss to Slippery Rock and is averaging 12.6 points (second on the team). He also ranks second on the team in three-pointers made (26) and second among the ECC leaders in free throw percentage (38-45/.844).

MINUTE MAN
Senior Ryan Salzberg (Manlius, N.Y.) has played at least 30 minutes in 10 of the 14 games this season and is averaging 30.6 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 14 points in the loss to Molloy and is averaging 6.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and a team-high 3.2 assists per game. He is 22 assists shy of 200 for his career.

BREAKOUT YEAR FOR ATKINS
Redshirt senior Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.) is enjoying the most productive season of his collegiate career. After totaling just 131 points and 89 rebounds over his first two seasons (one at Jefferson, one at Daemen), he has already totaled 183 points and 91 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 leads the team in scoring (13.1 ppg), rebounding (6.5 rpg), steals (23) and blocks (32). He was named the ECC Player of the Week earlier this year and the ECC Defensive Player of the Week last week.

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 (31.3) and is averaging 9.8 points. He ranks third among the ECC leaders in three-pointers made (34) and second in three-point field goal percentage (34-73/.466).

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 started the last seven games and is averaging 27.4 minutes, a team-high 14.1 points and 5.9 rebounds over that stretch. He also ranks third in assists (16) and leads the team in steals (12) over the last seven games. He scored a career-high 31 points in the win over Staten Island last Friday.

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 13 of 14 games this season and is averaging 18.2 minutes off the bench. He scored a career-high 16 points in the win over Cheyney and totaled 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds during a win over Alliance en route to his first career double-double. He leads the team in offensive rebounds (34), ranks second in total rebounds per game (6.3) and is averaging 7.2 points.

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 seventh D2SIDA East Region poll.

SCOUTING ASSUMPTION
Assumption is a member of the Northeast-10 Conference. The Greyhounds return nine players and two starters from last year's team that went 12-13 overall and 7-12 in the NE-10. Scott Faucher in his fourth season as head coach. Assumption has lost three-straight and six of its last seven games. The Greyhounds suffered an 84-72 loss at regionally-ranked Saint Anselm last Wednesday and dropped to 5-9 overall and 1-7 in the NE-10 following a 64-62 loss to regionally-ranked Southern Connecticut on Saturday. Assumption leads the NE-10 in three-pointers attempted (26.6) and made (9.5) per game. Four starters are averaging in double figures. Senior guard Isiah Gaiter leads the team in scoring (14.1 ppg), rebounding (7.5 rpg) and assists (2.9 apg). He totaled 15 points and eight rebounds in the loss to SCSU. Additional production has come from senior guard Kani Glover and junior forward Cooper Creek. Glover has scored in double figures in the each of the last eight games and is averaging 12.4 points with 32 three-pointers. Creek has made at least one three-pointer in all 14 games this season and is averaging 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds with a team-high 38 three-pointers. He drilled five three-pointers and scored 17 points in the loss to SCSU. Junior guard Stewart Njavan poured in 28 points in a recent 83-77 win over Post and is averaging 11.5 points. Assumption was picked ninth in the NE-10 preseason coaches' poll.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. ASSUMPTION
Series Record: Assumption, 1-0
At Daemen: 0-0
At Assumption, Assumption, 1-0
Last Meeting: Assumption 85, Daemen 50 | Dec. 28, 2002 | at Worcester, Mass.

ON THE HORIZON
Daemen is back in action Wednesday (Jan. 11) when it hosts rival Roberts Wesleyan in an ECC game.

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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