Jim Laskarzewski

Still Dancing: Men's Basketball Takes On Top-Seeded Saint Michael's In NCAA Regional Semifinals Tonight

3/17/2024 10:59:00 AM

By: Tom McDermott, Director of Athletics Communications | tmcdermo@daemen.edu

JUMP BALL
Fourth-seeded Daemen takes on top-seeded Saint Michael's in second round action of the 2024 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship. The East Region of the championship is being hosted by Saint Michael's in Colchester, Vt.

POLL POSITION
The Wildcats were ranked fourth and the Purple Knights were ranked second in the final D2 College Sports Communicators (D2CSC) East Region poll released Monday, Feb. 19. SMC is ranked 22nd in the most recent D2CSC national poll and is receiving votes in the most recent National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) national poll.

DAEMEN IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Daemen is making its fourth overall appearance in the NCAA Division II Championship and its first since the 2021 season. 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 20 wins in 2021-22 and 2022-23, but was denied an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament each year.

THE SEASON SO FAR
Daemen (25-8) has established a new NCAA Division II-era (2015-present) record for wins in a season. Daemen has featured a balanced scoring attack and solid defense all season. Six players are averaging in double figures and the Wildcats lead the East Coast Conference in fewest points allowed per game (71.2). Senior Dylan Fasoyiro (Houston, Tex.) has scored at least 20 points in the last five games and has averaged 20.9 points over the last nine games. He is averaging a team-high 17.6 points overall. Graduate student Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.), the 2023-24 ECC Preseason Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, is averaging 12.2 points and 7.4 rebounds. A five-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week selection, he ranks third among the ECC leaders in both blocks (53) and steals (51). Sophomore Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) is averaging 11.7 points and 3.4 assists with 51 three-pointers. Fifth-year senior Nick MacDonald (Amherst, N.Y.) is averaging 10.4 points, while senior Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) is also contributing 10.4 points with a team-high 79 three-pointers. Senior Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) is producing 10.8 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds per contest with 42 steals.

FOUR FROM DAEMEN EARN ALL-ECC
Four members of the Daemen University men's basketball team were voted to the 2023-24 All-ECC team. Graduate student Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.), senior Dylan Fasoyiro (Houston, Tex.), senior Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) and sophomore Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) were all named to the 16-player All-ECC team. Atkins, who was also voted the ECC Defensive Player of the Year, was a first team selection for the second-straight year. Fasoyiro earned first team honors this year after picking up second team honors last winter. Hemphill and Glover both earned all-conference honors for the first time and were both voted to the third team. Daemen led the way with four selections, while St. Thomas Aquinas College placed three players on the team. It marks the fifth time in the past seven years that Daemen has placed four players on the all-conference team.

RECORD SETTING PERFORMANCE
In a 123-75 win over Mercy on Feb. 18, Daemen scored 100 or more points during a regulation game for the first time since the 2021-22 season. The 123 points were the most scored by the Wildcats since the program gained NCAA Division II status in 2015. The last time the Wildcats scored as many points was a 123-122 double overtime win over Cincinnati Christian University on Dec. 19, 2009 during the Malone University Tournament.

THERE'S NO I IN TEAM
Daemen features a balanced attack with six players averaging between 10.4 and 17.6 points per game. Eight different players have led the team in scoring this season, led by Dylan Fasoyiro who has paced the team in points 15 times. Daemen has six players ranked among the Top-25 ECC scoring leaders. No other team has more than three players. The Wildcats have had 23 games where four players have scored in double figures and five players have reached double digits in points 11 times. A season-high six players scored in double figures during their win at Clarion on Nov. 26, their double OT win at Saint Anselm on Dec. 31 and their double OT win over UDC on Feb. 22.

SHARP SHOOTERS
Daemen ranks first among ECC teams in overall field goal percentage (.465) and three-point field goal percentage (.385) and has shot over 45-percent from the field in 17 of its 33 games. The Wildcats shot. 51-percent in their opening round win over Jefferson and are 11-0 this year when they shoot 50-percent or better from the field.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Daemen has limited 16 of its 33 opponents to less than 70 points and leads the ECC in team defense, allowing just 71.2 points per game. The Wildcats also rank first in the ECC in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to just 41-percent from the field. Daemen has produced the ECC Defensive Player of the Week seven times this season. Joey Atkins has earned the honor five times, while Justin Hemphill is a two-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week selection.

NOTABLE
Joey Atkins played in his 100th career game during Daemen's ECC Tournament quarterfinal win over Queens and recorded his 100th career block during a loss to Dominican on Nov. He played in 15 games at Jefferson as a freshman and has played in 88 games at Daemen. He has totaled 144 career blocks and has moved into the top five in career blocks among Daemen's all-time leaders. Dylan Fasoyiro went over 400 points for the season during the ECC Tournament win over Queens. After scoring just 23 points during his two seasons at Ashland, he has racked up 848 points in 55 games (15.4 ppg) at Daemen. Andrew Mason has become the fourth player in program history to reach 250 career three-pointers. He recorded his 250th triple during the regular season finale at Roberts Wesleyan and ranks fourth in career three-pointers at Daemen with 255. He has shot 46-percent (255-555) from three-point land over his career and ranks second in the ECC in three-pointers made (79) and three-point field goal percentage (.411) this season. Mason played in his 100th career game during the ECC Tournament semifinal win over Staten Island and scored his 1,000th career point during a win at UDC on Feb. 11. Nick MacDonald leads the East Region and ranks fifth nationally in free throw percentage (87-96/.906). He scored his 1,000th career point during the win over Queens on Jan. 28 and played in his 140th career game last weekend during the semifinals of the ECC Tournament. Justin Hemphill ranks first among the ECC leaders in offensive rebounds (96) and seventh in total rebounds per game (7.5). Justin Glover ranks seventh among the ECC leaders in assists per game (3.4) and second in assist/turnover ratio (2.4).

MACDONALD NOTCHES WIN NO. 450 OVERALL AND NO. 200 AS DAEMEN HEAD COACH
Head coach Mike MacDonald registered the 450th win of his career following the victory over Molloy on Jan. 26. Among active NCAA Division II coaches, he ranks first in the ECC, fifth in the East Region and 26th nationally in career wins with 461. MacDonald reached another milestone on Feb. 25 when he recorded his 200th win as head coach at Daemen. MacDonald is in his 10th season on the Daemen bench and his 27^th overall as a collegiate head coach. Daemen has posted at least 20 wins in five of the last six seasons (Daemen only played 16 games during the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 season) and MacDonald has led the Wildcats to a record of 204-82, four NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and the 2021 NCAA Division II East Region title. 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. His overall career record stands at 461-308.

FAMILIAR FACES
2022-23 All-ECC selections Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.), Dylan Fasoyiro (Houston, Tex.), Nick MacDonald (Amherst, N.Y.) and Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) all returned in 2023-24. Atkins earned first-team All-ECC honors in his first season as a starter last year after averaging 11.9 points and 6.2 rebounds. He also ranked eighth among all Division II players in blocks (65). Fasoyiro averaged a team-high 13.4 points in his first season with the team, while MacDonald contributed 12.4 points. Mason averaged 10.9 points and led all three NCAA divisions in three-point field goal percentage (.516) last year. Veteran point guard Ryan Salzberg (Manlius, N.Y.), who started all 28 games last year and averaged 32 minutes a game, was set to return but suffered a preseason injury. Senior Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.), a 6-foot-6 forward, is coming off a breakout season in which he averaged 9.0 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds off the bench. Sophomore guard Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) stepped into the starting lineup this season following the loss of Salzberg. Glover played in 23 games (seven starts) as a freshman and averaged 4.9 points and 1.8 assists. Ayden Harrison (Clifton Park, N.Y.), Phil Nwugwo (Rochester, N.Y.) and Jackson Kulik (Webster, N.Y.) also join the mix after red shirting their freshman season last year.

NEWCOMERS
Three newcomers joined the fold in 2023-24. Redshirt sophomore guard Jarius Jones (Gahanna, Ohio) spent the past two years at Ohio Dominican University. Freshmen Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) and Ryan Heath (Rochester, N.Y.) both earned New York State Class A all-state honors last winter and Philipkoski was also honored as the New York State Class A Player of the Year. Philipkoski was named the ECC Rookie of the Week after scoring 34 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in a recent win at Mercy.

ANOTHER 20 WIN SEASON
Daemen has posted its sixth-straight 20-win season. The streak does not include the 2020-21 season, as Daemen only played 16 games during that COVID-10 shortened season.

A NEW STANDARD
Daemen recorded its 25th win of the season yesterday and in the process established a new program record for most wins in a season during its NCAA Division II era (2015-present). The Wildcats had posted 24 wins in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

SUSTAINED SUCCESS
The Daemen program has been built on sustained success, winning at least 19 games in 12 of the last 13 seasons. That span encompasses the end of Daemen's NAIA Era, its NCAA transition period and the first nine seasons of full NCAA Division II membership. The Wildcats have won 72% of their contests, going 253-99 in that span.

SCOUTING THE PURPLE KNIGHTS
Saint Michael's (23-8, 17-5 NE10) claimed the Northeast-10 Conference regular season title, but was upset by Southern New Hampshire (97-65) in the NE-10 Tournament semifinals. The Purple Knights advanced to the regional semifinals following a 68-62 win over Southern Connecticut State last night. The Purple Knights went 11-18 (5-15 NE-10) last year and were picked last in the 2023-24 NE-10 preseason coaches' poll. SMC is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2000-01 season. Head coach Eric Eaton is in his fifth season at SMC. Eight players return from last year's team. SMC has five players that have made 49 or more three-pointers this season and the Purple Knights rank 11th nationally in three-point field goals per game (10.5). Senior Romar Reid and sophomore Darrel Yepdo have both had breakout seasons this year. Reid, who began his career at Division I Manhattan, is a second team All-NE-10 pick and is averaging 16.5 points with 49 three-pointers. Yepdo also collected second team All-NE-10 honors. He scored 21 points in the opening round win over Southern Connecticut and is averaging 15.6 points and 3.8 assists with 61 three-pointers. He has also totaled a team-high 57 steals. Junior CJ Crews has provided offense off the bench (12.3, 52 3pt FGs), while Division I transfer Nolan Marold is contributing 9.9 points and 7.3 rebounds in his first season with the team.

SERIES HISTORY
Tonight's game will mark just the fifth all-time meeting between the two teams and the first since the 2019-20 season. The teams have never met in post-season play. Daemen has prevailed in the last two meetings and owns a 3-1 advantage in the all-time series.

ON THE HORIZON
Tonight's winner will take on either third-seeded Southern New Hampshire University or seventh-seeded Post University in the regional championship game Tuesday at 7 p.m.

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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