The Apprentice School (16-11) 29-38—67
Daemen (26-5) 46-35—81

UNIONTOWN, Pa. – Junior guard Casey Sheehan (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) totaled 24 points, seven rebounds, six assists and six steals to lead the Daemen College men's basketball team to an 81-67 victory over The Apprentice School here today in the quarterfinal round of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division I Men's Basketball Championship Tournament.
 
The third-seeded Wildcats ran their winning streak to a season-best eight games and improved to 26-5. The sixth-seeded Builders dropped to 16-11 and will play a consolation game tomorrow.
 
Daemen, which now stands just two wins shy of a national championship, advances to the semifinals where it will face second-seeded Ave Maria University. That game will be played tomorrow (Feb. 28) at 10 p.m. The USCAA national championship game is set for Saturday (Mar. 2) at 12:30 p.m. All games are taking place on the campus of Penn State Fayette.

Scores and stats from all quarterfinal games can be found HERE.
 
Sheehan, who collected first-team USCAA All-America honors yesterday, played a team-high 36 minutes. Sophomore Jordan Greene (Fort Edward, N.Y./South Glens Falls) played a huge role off the bench for Daemen, as the 6-foot-5 sharp shooter canned 5-of-8 three-pointers and totaled 20 points in 26 minutes. Junior Kadeem Johnson (Syracuse, N.Y./Henninger) contributed 11 points and eight rebounds, while senior Jim Regan (Williamsville, N.Y./Nichols) grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds and also totaled six points and two blocks. Junior point guard Mark Coppola (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South) dished out eight assists and did not commit a turnover in 33 minutes of action.
 
Senior Tevin Andrews, a three-time first-team USCAA All-American, paced the Builders with 20 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks.
 
Daemen struggled to score early on, as the Wildcats connected on just two of their first nine shots and trailed 10-6 five minutes into the game. The Wildcats trailed 12-8 when a three-pointer by Sheehan sparked Daemen on a 16-0 run. A three-pointer by Greene with 10:44 left before halftime capped the spurt and gave the Wildcats a 24-12 lead.
 
The Builders scored the next five points, but Daemen answered with a three-pointer by Sheehan and later took a 39-21 lead when Coppola drained a three-pointer with 3:33 left before intermission. The 15-4 run also featured a four-point play by Greene, as he canned a three, was fouled and made the free throw.
 
The teams traded baskets the rest of the half and Daemen took a 46-29 lead into the break. Daemen connected on 8-of-15 three-pointers in the first half, while the Builders were just 1-of-11 from behind the arc over the first 20 minutes.
 
The Apprentice School scored the first three points of the second half, but the Wildcats then ran off eight-straight points and later opened up a 24-point lead, 58-34, following a jumper by Johnson with 14:47 left to play. Daemen scored just two points over the next three minutes, but the Builders scored just six points of their own during that same stretch and still trailed by 20 points, 60-40, with just under 12 minutes left.
 
An 8-0 spurt by the Wildcats, capped by a dunk by junior forward Gerald Beverly (Rochester, N.H./Gates Chili), all but secured the win and gave the Wildcats a 68-40 lead with nine minutes remaining. Beverly finished with seven points and seven rebounds.
 
The Builders kept things interesting with a 15-2 run that cut the lead to 15-points, 70-55, with just over three minutes to play. The teams then traded baskets before Greene's fifth triple of the game gave the Wildcats a 75-57 lead with 1:47 left.
 
Daemen shot 35-percent (28-80) overall and finished 9-of-23 from behind the arc. The Apprentice School shot 31-percent (23-75) overall and finished just 4-of-23 from three-point land. Daemen corralled 22 offensive rebounds and posted a 22-15 edge in second chance points. The Wildcats also posted a slim 28-24 advantage in points in the paint.
 
Daemen, which is transitioning from NAIA Division II to NCAA Division II, is in its first year as a member of the USCAA and has wasted no time in making a name for itself. Fueled by three national titles in the fall (men's golf, women's soccer, women's volleyball), the Wildcats currently sit atop the USCAA Director's Cup standings. The Director's Cup is presented annually to signify overall athletic excellence. The Daemen women's basketball team has been ranked atop the USCAA poll most of the season and is the No. 1 seed in the women's championship tournament.