WASHINGTON, D.C. – Junior Torrence Dyck, Jr. (Rochester, N.Y./San Jacinto College) scored a season-high 30 points to lead the Daemen College men's basketball team to a 95-72 victory over the University of District of Columbia here today in East Coast Conference action.
The Wildcats improved to 7-3 overall and remained undefeated (3-0) in league play. Daemen, which claimed the ECC regular-season championship last year, has now won 19-straight conference games dating back to last season. The Wildcats are now 40-2 since the start of the 2009-10 season when they score 90 or more points. UDC, which had won two of its last three games, dropped to 2-10 overall and 2-2 in the league.
Dyck, who scored 20 or more points for the sixth time this season, connected on 11-of-17 shots overall and was 2-for-3 from three-point land. Senior Jordan Greene (Fort Edward, N.Y./South Glens Falls) recorded his first career double-double for Daemen, as he totaled 17 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds. He also added three assists and two steals. Senior Gerald Beverly (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili) added 11 points and eight rebounds and has now scored in double figures in 40-straight games. Freshman Nick Petrucelli (Hicksville, N.Y./Thomasville Prep) provided some quality minutes off the bench, as he connected on all three of his shots and totaled eight points and a steal in 15 minutes.
Senior Michael Terry (Philadelphia, Pa.) paced the Firebirds with 19 points, while freshman Kory Cooley (Silver Spring, Md.) added 14 points and four assists.
Daemen, which was playing its first game since Dec. 18, showed no signs of rust as the Wildcats raced out to an early 10-2 lead and later took a 22-11 advantage following a layup by Petrucelli with 11:27 left before the break. UDC answered with a 17-6 run over the next six minutes that knotted the game at 28-28. The teams then traded hoops for the next three minutes and Daemen held a 33-32 lead when a bucket by sophomore Alex Borges (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep) sparked the Wildcats on a 12-2 run. A layup by Dyck with 26 seconds left before intermission capped the run and gave Daemen a 45-34 lead. Terry drained a three-pointer just before the halftime buzzer and the Wildcats took a 45-37 lead into the break.
Junior Supreme Hannah (Rochester, N.Y./Eastridge) gave Daemen a 54-44 lead when he drained a three-pointer five minutes into the second half, and the Wildcats later upped their lead to 15-points, 68-53, after Beverly grabbed an offensive rebound and slammed home the putback with 9:27 left to play. UDC answered with a 9-4 spurt and cut the lead to 10 points, 72-62, following a bucket by junior Erin Senegal (Lafayette, Pa.) with 7:22 left, but Daemen outscored the Firebirds 12-2 over the next three minutes to secure the win. A three-point play by Greene with 4:21 left capped the run and gave Daemen an 84-64 lead. UDC came no closer than 17 points down the stretch.
Daemen shot 56-percent (19-34) from the field in the second half and connected on 36-of-69 shots (52%) overall. It marked the fifth time this season Daemen has shot 50-percent or better from the field. UDC shot 42-percent (24-for-57) from the field overall. Daemen posted a commanding 48-28 advantage in points in the paint and the Wildcats also finished with a 42-29 edge in total rebounds. Daemen collected 16 offensive rebounds (compared to just eight for UDC), which resulted in a 25-5 advantage in second-chance points for the visitors. Daemen turned the ball over a season low nine times and posted an 18-6 edge in points off turnovers.
Daemen returns to action Monday when it plays a non-league game at Washington Adventist University. The game will be a rematch of last year's United States Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament semifinal game won by WAU, 58-57. WAU went on to claim the 2014 USCAA national championship.
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