Big Weekend On Tap For Men's Basketball

Wildcats Host Nationally-Ranked Spartans Friday and Mercy Sunday

2/16/2023 10:32:00 AM

GAME #24
#16 St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans (21-3, 12-0 ECC) vs. Daemen Wildcats (16-7, 9-4 ECC)
DATE: Friday, Feb. 17
TIME: 7:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Amherst, N.Y. | Lumsden Gymnasium
LIVE STATS: via Daemen Athletics / LIVE VIDEO: via ECC Network / TICKETS: via Daemen Athletics

GAME #25
Mercy Mavericks (4-18, 1-11 ECC) vs. Daemen Wildcats (16-7, 9-4 ECC)
DATE: Sunday, Feb. 19
TIME: 2 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 plays host to nationally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas Friday and Mercy Sunday in East Coast Conference games this weekend. With three games left in the regular season Daemen sits in third place in the ECC standings behind league-leading Saint Thomas Aquinas (12-0) and second place Molloy (10-4).

LAST TIME OUT
Daemen made a season-high 15 three-pointers and all five starters scored in double figures during an 88-65 win at Roberts Wesleyan on Feb. 8. Six different Wildcats made at least one three-pointer in the game. Daemen made its first 10 three-pointers and finished 15-of-22 from downtown in the game. Senior Nick MacDonald (Amherst, N.Y.) went 3-of-5 from long range and scored a team-high 16 points. He also contributed four rebounds and three assists. Junior Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) enjoyed a productive homecoming, as he went 5-of-9 from downtown and totaled 15 points and three assists. It marked the second-straight game he made five triples in a game. Redshirt senior Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.) registered his second double-double of the year, as he finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Dylan Fasoyiro (Houston, Tex.) scored in double figures for the 10th-straight game and totaled 11 points and four rebounds.

CLOSE CALLS
12 of Daemen's 23 games have been decided by 10 points or less and the Wildcats are 6-6 in those contests. The Wildcats lost at the final buzzer against nationally-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 has come out on the winning end in five of its last six close games, defeating regionally-ranked Franklin Pierce 59-51, posting a 79-75 win at Staten Island, defeating D'Youville 56-53, downing UDC 80-70 and defeating Queens 82-72.

SHARP SHOOTERS
Daemen ranks first among ECC teams in field goal percentage (.465) and has shot 50-percent or better from the field 10 times this season. The Wildcats are 9-1 this year when they shoot 50-percent or better from the field. Daemen made its first 13 shots and its first 10 three-pointers in the win over Roberts Wesleyan on Feb. 8. The Wildcats shot a season-high 62-percent (34-55) in the win over the Redhawks.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Daemen leads the ECC in both team defense (65.9 papg) and field goal percentage defense (.406). The Wildcats have held 14 of their 23 opponents to less than 70 points and are 12-2 overall this season when they hold their opponent under 70 points.

SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE
Daemen leads the ECC in team defense, allowing just 65.9 points per game and St. Thomas Aquinas is averaging a league-high 86.3 points per game. The Spartans have averaged 93.3 points during their current six-game winning streak.

150TH NCAA DIVISION II WIN
The win over District of Columbia on Jan. 21 was Daemen's 150th win as a NCAA Division II member. Since Daemen gained full NCAA status prior to the 2015-16 season, the Wildcats have posted a 154-63 record for a .710 winning percentage.

HOME SWEET HOME
Daemen will play its final three regular season games at Lumsden Gymnasium. The Wildcats are 9-3 this season and 89-18 (.830) 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 175-73 (.706) 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.

MR. CONSISTENT
Senior Nick MacDonald (Amherst, N.Y.) has scored in double figures in 20 of the 23 games. He scored a career-high 20 points in a loss to Slippery Rock and is averaging 12.4 points (third on the team). He also ranks second on the team in three-pointers made (38) and third among the ECC leaders in free throw percentage (60-70/.857). He is shooting 88.6-percent (124-140) from the charity stripe over his collegiate career.

MINUTE MAN
Senior Ryan Salzberg (Manlius, N.Y.) has played at least 30 minutes in 10 of the last 11 games and 18 of the 23 games this season. He scored a season-high 14 points in the loss to Molloy on Dec. 2 and is averaging 6.8 points and 3.8 rebounds. He is averaging a team-high 31.6 minutes and a team-high 3.6 assists per game. He recorded his 200th career assist during the win over Queens on Jan. 29 and leads the ECC in assist/turnover ratio (2.5).

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 totaled 287 points and 183 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 ranks second on the team in both scoring (12.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.2 rpg). He ranks third in the ECC in blocks (56) and has become the fifth player in program history to record 50 or more blocks in a season. He is a one time ECC Player of the Week selection and two time ECC Defensive Player of the Week honoree.

DIALING LONG DISTANCE
Junior Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) connected on 7-of-9 three-pointers and scored a season-high 22 points in the win over Roberts Wesleyan on Jan. 11. It marked the second time this season he has made seven three-pointers in a game (at St. Thomas Aquinas on Dec. 9). 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 is averaging 31.4 minutes and 10.5 points per game. He ranks second among the ECC leaders in three-pointers made (64) and third among all NCAA Division II players in three-point field goal percentage (64-131/.489). He was named the ECC Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Jan. 17.

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 16 games and the Wildcats are 13-3 with him in the starting lineup. He has scored in double figures in each of the last 10 games and is averaging 12.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He also ranks second in on the team in steals (32). He scored a career-high 31 points in the win over Staten Island on Jan. 6 and netted 23 points in the win over UDC on Jan. 21.

SOLID SIXTH MAN
Junior forward Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) has proven to be a solid sixth man. Sidelined by injury most of his first two seasons, he has played in 22 of 23 games this season and is averaging 18.4 minutes off the bench. He scored a career-high 16 points in the win over Cheyney and totaled 13 points and 11 rebounds during a win over Alliance en route to his first career double-double. He equaled his career-high for points (16) and established a new career-high for rebounds (14), assists (6) and blocks (4) in the win over Roberts Wesleyan on Jan. 11. He leads the team in offensive rebounds (58) and total rebounds per game (6.4) and ranks first among all ECC players in field goal percentage (69-122/.566). He was recently named the ECC Defensive Player of the Week.

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 5.4 points per game. He missed five games due to injury, but returned to action during the recent win at D'Youville.

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. 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. Daemen's roster also includes brothers Payton and Preston Shumpert (Syracuse, N,.Y.). Their father (Preston) played collegiately at Syracuse University from 1998 to 2002.

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 ranked ninth in 13th and final D2SIDA East Region poll released Feb. 13.

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 last year following a 59-48 victory over Daemen in the title game. The win also earned the Spartans their seventh-straight trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament. STAC advanced to the NCAA Tournament East Regional championship game last year, 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 16th nationally in both the NABC and D2SIDA polls. The Spartans won 10 of their first 11 games and are currently riding a six-game winning streak. STAC will be playing its first game since posting an 81-63 wion over Mercy on Feb. 8. STAC leads the ECC in three-pointers made per game (9.8) and five players have made at least 20 three-pointers on the year. Four starters are averaging over 11 points per game. Redshirt junior DeVante Jamison leads the team in scoring (14.2 ppg), assists (5.6 apg) and steals (44). Freshman James Patterson is a five-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection and is averaging 14.1 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds. Junior Jamal Barnes and redshirt senior Antonio Vendola both rank among the top five in the ECC in three-pointers made. Barnes has made a league-high 78 triples and is averaging 12.3 points. Vendola has made 51 three-pointers and is contributing 11.3 points per game. Freshman Kyle Pulliam has been named ECC Rookie of the Week each of the last three weeks. He made six three-pointers and scored a season-high 26 points in the win over Mercy last week. STAC was picked second in the ECC preseason coaches' poll.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. STAC
Series Record: STAC, 19-9
At Daemen: STAC, 6-4
At STAC, STAC, 9-4
At Neutral Site: STAC, 4-1
Last Meeting: STAC 72 Daemen 70 | Dec. 9, 2022 | at Sparkill, N.Y.

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 snapped a 12-game losing streak following a 95-51 win over Cheyney on Feb. 1 and are coming off a 79-72 non-league win over Bridgeport on Feb. 11. The Mavericks play at D'Youville Friday night before taking on the Wildcats Sunday. Graduate transfer Sean Smith, Jr. scored 24 points in the win over Bridgeport and is averaging a team-high 15.6 points. He also leads the team in three-pointers (40) and steals (32). Junior Jayden Dewaal is a two-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week selection. He has posted eight double-doubles on the year and is averaging 11.7 points and a league-high 10.3 rebounds per game. He posted 26 points and 21 rebounds in an 84-83 loss at Roberts Wesleyan earlier this month and followed up with 20 points and 23 boards in an 81-63 loss to STAC. Senior guard James Taylor, Jr. is averaging 11.5 points. Mercy was picked eighth in the ECC preseason coaches' poll.

ALL-TIME SERIES: DAEMEN VS. MERCY
Series Record: Daemen, 19-0
At Daemen: Daemen, 9-0
At Mercy: Daemen, 9-0
At Neutral Site: Daemen, 1-0
Last Meeting: Daemen 86, Mercy 62 | Dec. 11, 2022 | at Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.

ON THE HORIZON
Daemen closes out the regular season next Saturday (Feb. 25) when it hosts D'Youville University 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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