Men's Basketball Opens Post Season Play At Home Wednesday

Wildcats Host Queens In Quarterfinal Round Action Of The ECC Tournament

3/4/2024 3:28:00 PM

JUMP BALL
Third seeded Daemen hosts sixth seeded Queens in quarterfinal round action of the 2024 East Coast Conference Men's Basketball Championship. The winner advances to the semifinal round. The semifinals and championship game will be hosted by top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas College this weekend (March 9-10). The ECC Tournament champion earns an automatic bid to the upcoming 64-team NCAA Division II Championship tournament. The NCAA Tournament field will be announced Sunday, March 10.

POLL POSITION
Daemen is tied for sixth in the second NCAA East Region poll released last Wednesday by the NCAA Tournament regional advisory committee. The Wildcats were also ranked fourth in the final D2 College Sports Communicators (D2CSC) East Region poll released Monday, Feb. 19.

DAEMEN IN THE ECC TOURNAMENT
Daemen is making its ninth 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 nine of their ECC tournament berths. Daemen has played in the tournament's final round on four occasions, falling in 2016, 2021, 2022 and 2023 to St. Thomas Aquinas.

THE SEASON SO FAR
Daemen (22-7, 12-4 ECC) has gone 10-1 since suffering a 92-82 loss at St. Thomas Aquinas back on Jan. 19. Daemen has featured a balanced scoring attack and solid defense thus far. Six players are averaging in double figures and the Wildcats lead the ECC in fewest points allowed per game (71.9). Senior Dylan Fasoyiro (Houston, Tex.) recently returned to the lineup after missing six games with a hand injury. He has averaged 18.8 points since returning from the injury and is averaging a team-high 16.9 points overall. Graduate student Joey Atkins (Watervliet, N.Y.), the ECC Preseason Player of the Year, is averaging 12.2 points and 7.3 rebounds. A five-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week selection, he ranks third among the ECC leaders in blocks (50) and fourth in steals (45). Sophomore Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) is averaging 12.3 points and 3.6 assists with 49 three-pointers. Fifth-year senior Nick MacDonald (Amherst, N.Y.) is averaging 11.1 points, while senior Andrew Mason (Webster, N.Y.) is contributing 11.1 points with a team-high 74 three-pointers. Senior Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.) is producing 11.2 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds per contest.

WILDCATS CAP REGULAR SEASON WITH WIN AT ROBERTS WESLEYAN
The Wildcats closed out the regular season with an 87-76 win at Roberts Wesleyan this past weekend. Daemen became the first ECC team to beat the Redhawks at home this season. Dylan Fasoyiro scored 19 of his game-high 22 points in the first half to lead the way. Fasoyiro, who scored all of Daemen's first 17 points of the game, drilled five three-pointers and also contributed eight rebounds and two steals. Freshman Zach Philipkoski totaled 14 points and seven rebounds in just 15 minutes off the bench. Sophomore point guard Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) added 13 points, seven assists, two steals and just one turnover.

STREAKING
Daemen is riding a six-game winning streak, which ranks as the longest winning streak for the Wildcats this season and the second longest current winning streak in the East Region behind Jefferson (8). Daemen has averaged 95.0 points and has outscored its opponents by an average of 16 points over the six games.

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 11.1 and 16.9 points per game. Daemen has six players ranked among the Top-25 ECC scoring leaders. No other team has more than three players. The Wildcats have had 22 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 (.470) and three-point field goal percentage (.394) and has shot over 45-percent from the field in 16 of its 29 games. The Wildcats are 10-0 this year when they shoot 50-percent or better from the field.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Daemen has limited 13 of its 29 opponents to less than 70 points and leads the ECC in team defense, allowing just 71.9 points per game. The Wildcats also rank first in the ECC in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to just 42-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.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Wildcats are 13-1 at home this season and have won 22 of their last 23 home games dating back to last season. They are 105-19 (.847) at home during Daemen's NCAA Division II era (2015-present).

NOTABLE
Joey Atkins will be playing in his 100th career game Wednesday. He played 15 games at Jefferson as a freshman and has played in 84 games at Daemen. He recorded his 100th career block during a loss to Dominican on Nov. 18. He has totaled 141 career blocks and has moved into the top five in career blocks among Daemen's all-time leaders. Dylan Fasoyiro enters Wednesday's game 15 points shy of 800 for his career. After scoring just 23 points during his two seasons at Ashland, he has racked up 762 points in 51 games (14.9 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 win at Roberts Wesleyan this past weekend and ranks fourth in career three-pointers at Daemen with 250. He ranks second in the ECC in three-pointers made (74) and three-point field goal percentage (.430). Mason scored his 1,000th career point during the win at UDC on Feb. 11. Nick MacDonald leads the East Region and ranks seventh nationally in free throw percentage (84-92/.913). He scored his 1,000th career point during the win over Queens on Jan. 28. Justin Hemphill ranks second among the ECC leaders in offensive rebounds (89) and fifth in total rebounds per game (7.9). Justin Glover ranks seventh among the ECC leaders in assists per game (3.6) and second in assist/turnover ration (2.7).

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 457. 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 201-81, three 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 458-307.

FAMILIAR FACES
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.) is set to step into the starting lineup 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.

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 250-98 in that span.

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 has posted 20 wins this last two seasons, but was denied an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament each year.

SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
Queens (12-15, 6-10 ECC) owned a 12-8 record at the end of December, but the Knights lost their final seven games of the regular season. The Knights capped the year with an 81-72 loss to Staten Island this past weekend. Queens went 8-20 overall (5-11 in ECC) and failed to qualify for the ECC Tournament last year. Matt Collier is in his eighth season as head coach. Queens lost three of its top five scorers from last season and returns eight players. Senior guard Sunnie Diamond returns after averaging a team-high 17.6 points last year. He scored 23 points in a recent 110-95 loss to nationally-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas and is averaging 17.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. Senior forward Mailk Bentinck leads the East Region and ranks 12th nationally in double-doubles with 12. He totaled 18 points and 13 rebounds in a recent 81-72 loss to UDC and is averaging 12.5 points and 9.1 rebounds. He leads the ECC in offensive rebounds (90) and ranks second in total rebounds per game. Junior point guard Shamar Chester poured in 31 points in a recent 96-85 loss to Molloy and is averaging 13.7 points with a team-high 40 three-pointers. Queens was picked fifth in the ECC preseason coaches' poll.

SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday's tilt will mark the 23rd meeting between the Wildcats and the Knights. Daemen has prevailed in 13 of the last 15 meetings and owns an 18-4 advantage in the series. The teams split their two meetings this year. Queens outlast Daemen, 81-79, in overtime, in New York City on Dec. 10, before Daemen answered with a 78-56 at Lumsden Gymnasium on Jan. 28.

QUEENS IN THE ECC TOURNAMENT
The Knights are looking for their first ECC Tournament win since posting a 77-68 win over Dowling in the quarterfinals of the 2011 ECC Championship. Queens has lost six-straight ECC Tournament games since posting that win over Dowling, including a 90-76 loss to Daemen in the quarterfinals of the 2020 ECC Tournament at Lumsden Gymnasium.

ON THE HORIZON
The semifinals and championship game of the ECC Championship tournament will be hosted by top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas College this weekend.

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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