BROOKVILLE, N.Y.- The Daemen College men's basketball team suffered their first loss of the season in East Coast Conference play as Long Island University Post got a 28-point, 13-rebound performance from senior forward Vaughn Allen to push the hosts to a 93-85 victory at the Pratt Recreation Center tonight.  With the win - LIU Post's fifth straight - the Pioneers improved to 6-3 on the season and 3-0 in the conference while the Wildcats had their modest two-game winning streak snapped to fall to 4-3 on the year and 1-1 in the conference.

The two teams traded baskets throughout the game which resulted in ten lead changes and six ties. The Wildcats erased a six-point LIU Post lead in the first half and found themselves up 21-19 at the 12:25 mark after a three-pointer from Jordan Greene (Fort Edward, N.Y./South Glens Falls) and a layup by Kadeem Johnson (Syracuse, N.Y./Henniger).

The Pioneers lead by five at the break (49-44) but Daemen took over five minutes into the second half. The Wildcats found their largest lead of the night (64-57) at the 12:46 mark off another three-pointer from Greene. Following a timeout, the Pioneers regrouped with a quick 12-0 spurt to take the lead back at 67-64 with 9:07 left to go in the game.

Daemen would claim the lead once more with a 12-8 run of their own to lead by one (76-75) with 3:36 to play. But, the hosts regained the edge when Tyuan Williams grabbed an offensive rebound and scored while being fouled with 3:23 left.  He converted at the charity stripe to put the Pioneers ahead by two (78-76).

The Pioneers would extend the lead to six behind the strong inside play of Allen.  The 6-foot-6 all-conference player converted two free throws and added a traditional three-point play to put LIU Post ahead 83-77 at the two-minute mark.

But, Daemen clawed back and found themselves in a one-possession game after Greene burried another triple at the 1:05 mark to cut the deficit to just two (84-82).  P.J. Torres stemmed the tide for the Pioneers with a bucket in the paint with 31 ticks left to put the hosts back ahead by four (86-82).  

After an empty Daemen possession and another Allen free throw, Greene knocked in his fifth three-ball of the night to pull Daemen back within two (87-75) with 10 seconds remaining.  But, Torres got loose on the ensuing inbounds pass to start a 6-0 run for the Pioneers to provide the final margin.

Turnovers proved costly as Daemen coughed the ball up 20 times resulting in 19 points for the hosts.

Torres had a solid all-around performance as he complimented Allen's production with  22 points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists for the Pioneers. Williams contributed 14 points and nine rebounds while teammate Dillon Burns chipped in 10 points and seven assists.

Junior forward Gerald Beverly (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili) put up another monster effort for Daemen, shooting 10-for-15 from the field and 8-for-10 from the line to tie his career-high of 28 points. He also added nine rebounds for the Wildcats despite battling foul trouble most of the night.  Beverly's other 28-point outing came on Long Island as well, against Molloy College last November.  In three career games on the island, Beverly is averaging 23.7 points and 11 rebounds per game while shooting 64-percent from the field. 

Johnson doubled up with 10 points and a team-high 10 rebounds before fouling out tonight. Senior Uchechi Ogbonna (Hicksville, N.Y./Erie CC) added 18 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots as well.

Senior Casey Sheehan (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) dished out a season-high 10 assists while point guard Mark Coppola (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South) added five assists and three steals. Greene came off the bench to go 5-for-8 from the three-point line, scoring 17 points while also adding three steals for the Wildcats.

Daemen returns to action Sunday (Dec. 15) against ECC foe New York Institute of Technology at Recreation Hall for a 2 p.m. game.