BUFFALO, N.Y.- The Daemen College men's basketball team suffered a loss in their opening exhibition game of the season as Canisius College, of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and NCAA Division I, got a 23-point, eight-assist performance from senior guard Billy Baron to push the hosts to a 102-84 victory before a crowd of 1,581 at the Koessler Athletic Center tonight. Baron, who led his team with 17.2 points per game last season, was selected as the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year.
This was the first time in program history that Daemen and Canisius have played against each other, and was Daemen's first game against a Division I opponent since an 82-67 exhibition game loss at the University at Buffalo on Nov. 7, 2009.
Despite the loss, several players stood out at this high level of competition.
6-foot-7 junior forward Gerald Beverly (Rochester, NY/Gates Chili HS) was solid all night for Daemen, finishing with 24 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. It was just another day at the office for Beverly who totaled 11 double-doubles last season.
Jordan Greene (Fort Edward, N.Y./South Glens Falls) added 17 points while teammate Casey Sheehan (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) was an all-around force for the Wildcats as he chipped in 15 points, eight assists, and three steals. Senior point guard Mark Coppola (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South) added a double-double of his own (11 points, 10 assists) to aide the Daemen cause.
Canisius, who led the entire ballgame, opened on a 24-10 run, establishing a gap that Daemen would never fully overcome.
Daemen used an 12-6 spurt to get themselves back into it, cutting the hosts' lead to eight (30-22) at the 9:29 mark of the first half on jumper by junior forward Gerald Beverly.
The Golden Griffins made it a 14-point gap to lead the Wildcats 43-29 with 3:34 to go in the opening stanza. Daemen would chip away again, cutting the deficit to 43-35 on a layup by Coppola with 1:26 left to play in the half. But, following a Daemen timeout, Canisius rattled off four quick points in the half's waning moments to take a 12-point lead into the locker room (47-35).
Sheehan hit a jumper on Daemen's first possession of the second half to cut the deficit to 10, but Canisius ran their advantage to 18 (55-37) with a quick 8-0 spurt capped by a layup from senior guard Chris Perez at the 18:15 mark. Perez, a senior transfer from Stetson University, was on the money all night, finishing with 21 points on 8-for-14 shooting, and five assists for the Griffins.
Greene brought the Wildcats back within 11 with a steal and layup - two of his 10 second-half points - at the 11:13 mark, making the score 72-61. But, Daemen would get no closer the rest of the way as Baron responded with a three pointer to put the Griffs back up 14 with 9:16 left to play.
The hosts quickly re-established control and led by double figures for the rest of the game leaving the final margin at 102-84.
For the game, Canisius had an advantage from the free throw line as they hit 21 of their 30 free throw attempts (70-percent) compared to a 12-for-17 (71-percent) showing from the visitors.
Despite the loss, Daemen head coach Don Silveri was pleased with how his team competed.
"All-in-all, I thought we played pretty well, especially considering we've only got 10 or so practices under our belt," the veteran coach said afterwards. "We certainly had a few guys who proved that they can play with just about anybody. Canisius is a good, well-coached team that is going to be in contention for a conference title. To play them as tightly as we did for as long as we did is a testament to the kind of team that we have built."
The coach continued, " You know, this is the opportunity of a lifetime for our players. To be able to play against a Division I opponent in a Division I venue, we couldn't be happier with the opportunity to be here, especially considering that we've got a lot of local kids on our team and they grow up hearing about and watching Canisius. Plus, we had a great crowd tonight - a lot of Daemen supporters. Our student affairs department sent a bus load of our students to the game and they were rocking behind our bench. Overall, it was a great experience for us and one that I hope we can continue in the future."
Daemen returns to action Friday (Nov. 1) when they host Medaille College in their last exhibition game of the preseason as they tune up for their regular season openers. Friday's game tips off at 8:00 p.m. at Lumsden Gymnasium. The Wildcats regular season openers are slated for the following weekend when they host the Knee Center of Western New York Classic, taking on Ohio Valley University (Friday, Nov. 8; 8 p.m.) and Goldey-Beacom College (Saturday, Nov. 9 - 4 p.m.).
