Score By Periods	1st	2nd	Total
Grace	36	45	81
Daemen	40	48	88

AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen College men's basketball team kept its unblemished home record intact as they used a 48-point second half to secure an 88-81 victory over Grace College - the ninth-ranked team in NAIA Division II - at Lumsden Gymnasium tonight.

Junior guard Casey Sheehan (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) led a balanced effort for the Wildcats who improved to 13-4 on the season while running their home winning streak to 18 consecutive games dating back to last season (8-0 this season) .  Sheehan scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half to go with seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Sophomore center Gerald Beverly (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili) recorded his eighth double-double of the season, and first since Nov. 23, with 17 points and 11 rebounds.  Beverly added four emphatic blocked shots to his stat line as well.

It was Daemen's first-ever victory over the Lancers in five tries.  Grace, one of the premier programs in the NAIA and the defending Crossroads League champions, fell to 9-4 on the season with the loss.

The Wildcats used a 10-0 run near the midway point of the first half to open up a 12-point lead (27-15).  The run was sparked by redshirt sophomore guard Aaron Davis (North Tonawanda, N.Y./North Tonawanda) who scored an old-fahsioned three-point play and added his first three-pointer of the night en route to a 3-for-5 showing from deep. 

Also in the spurt, senior forward Jim Regan (Williamsville, N.Y./Nichols) converted two free throws to surpass the 1,000 point barrier for his career.

Then, with Daemen leading 30-19, Grace used a 12-0 spurt of their own to briefly take a 31-30 lead.  Senior guard Bruce Grimm, Jr. and sophomore guard Karl Columbus did all the scoring with six points apiece in the run, capped by Grimm, Jr.'s jumper at the 3:16 mark of the half.

A buzzer-beating three-point basket by Daemen's Supreme Hannah (Rochester, N.Y./Eastridge) helped Daemen take a 40-36 lead into the halftime intermission.

Daemen scored the first six points of the second half to re-establish a double figure lead (46-36) with 18:39 remaining.

Grace cut the deficit to five (53-48) on a layup by Columbus at the 14:58 mark but Daemen responded with five straight points to stem the tide.  Beverly converted two freebies after Columbus was whistled for a flagrant foul and Sheehan burried a three-pointer at the 14:02 mark.

Davis added another three-pointer just moments later, at the 12:29 mark, as the Wildcat lead extended to 11 at 64-53.

A basket by the Lancers' Dennis Williams got the Daemen lead under 10 but a Regan jumper pushed it back to 11 (66-55) with 11:17 to play.

Grace then used a 10-2 run to get themselves back into contention, as they trailed 68-65 with 7:23 left in the period.  The 6'11" Williams was pivotal in the middle, scoring four points in the spurt.

Daemen again responded and outscored the Lancers 10-2 over the next three minutes with baskets from four different players, including back-to-back runners from junior guard Alvin Satram (New Port Richey, Fla./Pasco-Hernando CC).  When Beverly scored a layup with 4:09 remaining, Daemen's 11-point lead was back into effect (78-67).

After a timeout with the hosts leading 80-69, Grace got back-to-back three-pointers from junior forward Greg Miller and senior sharp-shooter Elliot Smith to trim the deficit to just five (80-75) with 3:04 to play.

Regan canned a clutch three-point shot on Daemen's next possession to keep the Lancers at bay. 

Grace would get no closer than seven points the rest of the way as junior point guard Mark Coppola (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South) converted 5-of-6 from the charity stripe down the stretch to seal the deal.  He finished with seven points, five rebounds and a season-high 11 assists.

Grimm, Jr. led all scorers with a game-high 27 points on 11-of-24 shooting.  He added six assists and four steals.

Miller chipped in with 21 points and 11 boards while Columbus reached double figures with 10 points.

Daemen got 12 points apiece from Davis and sophomore forward Jordan Greene (Fort Edward, N.Y./South Glens Falls).  Davis' points came in a reserve role as he helped the Wildcats' subs outscore Grace's bench 24-10.  Greene, who made the first start of his career, responded by knocking in 5-of-10 shots from the field, including 2-of-5 from three-point range.

Regan, who entered the game needing just one point to reach his milestone, finished with nine points and now stands at 1,008 total points with 14 regular season games remaining in his career.

Satram added nine points for the Wildcats as well.

Daemen hit on 49-percent of its shots for the game (30-for-61) and knocked down double figure three-point shots (10-for-25; 40-percent) for the third time this season.

An 18-for-22 (82-percent) showing from the free throw line helped Daemen overcome being outscored 44-36 in the paint, marking the first time that's happened all season.

Grace shot 34-for-72 (47-percent) from the field and 8-for-23 (35-percent) from three-point range but committed 18 turnovers.

The Wildcats conclude the pre-Christmas portion of their schedule when they host Wilfrid Laurier University on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 4 p.m.