Rockville Center, N.Y. – Sophomore Gerald Beverly (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili) recorded his fifth double-double of the season to lead the Daemen College men's basketball team to a 76-64 victory over Queens College here tonight in opening-round action of the Molloy College Tip-Off Tournament.

Daemen improved to 6-0 on the year, while it marked the 2012-13 season-opener for Queens. Queens is a member of the NCAA Division II East Coast Conference, which Daemen will join as a probationary member next year. Daemen's NCAA Division II application was approved this past summer and the Wildcats are in the first of a three-year transitional phase.

Beverly made 4-of-9 field goals and 7-of-10 free throws and totaled 15 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. Erie Community College product Uchechi Ogbonna (Hicksville, N.Y./Erie CC) added 15 points off the bench for the Wildcats, while junior Casey Sheehan (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) returned to the Daemen lineup after missing the last two games due to injury and contributed 10 points and four assists. Junior Kadeem Johnson (Syracuse, N.Y./Henninger) saw limited action due to foul trouble, but still managed 10 points and five rebounds in 16 minutes. Junior point guard Mark Coppola (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South) added nine points and six assists, while senior forward Jim Regan (Williamsville, N.Y./Nichols) also scored nine points and grabbed eight boards.

Junior Patrick Parker (Queens, N.Y./Alfred State) made 10-of-12 free throws and finished with a game-high 17 points for Queens, while Genesee Community College product Kevin Nascimento (Harlem, N.Y./Genesee CC) added 15 points for the Knights.

The first half featured five ties and seven lead changes. The game was tied at 8-8 five minutes into the game, when the Knights put together a 10-4 run. Two free throws by Nascimento capped the run and gave Queens its largest lead of the game, 18-12. Daemen responded with seven unanswered points and took 19-18 lead following a layup by Ogbonna with 7:31 left before the break. The Wildcats later took a 27-22 lead following a bucket by Ogbonna, but the Knights outscored Daemen 14-8 over the final 4:47 of the half and Queens took a 36-35 lead into the break.

The game was tied at 43-43 five minutes into the second half when five unanswered points gave Daemen the lead for good. The teams traded baskets for the next five minutes and the Wildcats held a 54-51 lead when they took control with eight-straight points. Six of the eight points came from the charity stripe. Queens came no closer than nine points over the final eight minutes.

The teams took a combined 73 free throws in the game. Daemen made just 24-of-40 of its free throws, while the Knights kept the game close by going 25-of-33 from the charity stripe. The teams also struggled from behind the three-point arc, as Daemen went without a three-pointer (0-for-12) and Queens finished 1-for-17.

Daemen shot 48-percent (12-25) from the field in the second half after connecting on just 14-of-36 shots (39%) in the first half. The Wildcats posted a dominating 46-26 edge in points in the paint.

Daemen takes on the host Molloy Lions in second-round action tomorrow at 2 p.m.