United States Collegiate Athletic Association
Men's Division 1 Championship Tournament – Semifinal
 
Daemen (27-5) 35-65—100
Ave Maria (23-9) 33-39—72
 
 
UNIONTOWN, Pa. – Tom Petty said it best, “The waiting is the hardest part.”
 
Daemen College waited all day to play its game against Ave Maria University in the semifinal round of the 2013 United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. To make matters worse the scheduled 10 p.m. start was pushed back to 10:30 p.m.
 
Turns out it was worth the wait, as the Wildcats advanced to the championship game following an impressive 100-72 victory over AMU here on the campus of Penn State Fayette. Daemen exploded for 65 second-half points and scored 100 points for the 11th time this season.
 
The third-seeded Wildcats (27-5) ran their winning streak to a season-best nine games and added to their school record for wins in a season. The second-seeded Gyrenes (23-9) saw their season come to an end in the USCAA semifinals for the second-straight year.
 
Daemen will square off against top-seeded Rochester College for the national championship Saturday (Mar. 2) at 12:30 p.m. Rochester (22-4) advanced to the finals with a 59-47 victory over fifth-seeded Southern Virginia University.
 
Junior Casey Sheehan (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena) and sophomore Jordan Greene (Fort Edward, N.Y./South Glens Falls) led the way for the second-straight game. Sheehan, who scored a team-high 24 points in Daemen's quarterfinal round win last night, netted a team-high 20 points and also added five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Greene canned five three-pointers for the second-straight night and finished with 17 points in just 18 minutes off the bench.
 
Sophomore forward Gerald Beverly (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili) had several monster dunks and finished with 15 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Junior Kadeem Johnson (Syracuse, N.Y./Henninger) recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while junior point guard Mark Coppola (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South) added seven points and five steals.
 
Senior Mike Coyle led the Gyrenes with 14 points, while Matt Chattin went 3-for-4 from three-point land and finished with 13 points.
 
The victory was extra sweet for Daemen, which suffered a 61-54 loss at AMU in early January. It still ranks as the only defeat the Wildcats have suffered since the start of the New Year. Daemen played that game without the services of Beverly, Johnson and junior forward Uchechi Ogbonna (Hicksville, N.Y./Erie CC). Beverly suffered an ankle injury five minutes into the game, while Johnson and Ogbonna did not make the trip to Florida. Daemen shot a season-low 27-percent (19-70) in the game, and the 54 points ranks as the second lowest scoring output this season. The lack of three frontcourt players also allowed AMU to post a 51-37 edge in total rebounds.
 
Beverly, Johnson and Ogbonna all played key roles this time around. Ogbonna played 17 minutes off the bench and totaled seven points, five rebounds and two steals. The Wildcats shot 53-percent (35-66) from the field, outrebounded the Gyrenes 50-30 and became the first team to score 100 points against AMU all season.
 
The delay seemed to have no effect on either team early on. AMU held a 12-10 lead five minutes into the contest and the game was tied at 20 midway through the first half. AMU held a 22-21 lead when the Wildcats strung together six unanswered points. A steal and dunk by Ogbonna with 7:47 to play in the half capped the spurt and gave Daemen a 27-22 lead. The Gyrenes responded with a 6-0 run of their own and regained the lead, 28-27, following a put back by Wendell Powell with just under four minutes left before intermission. The Wildcats regained the lead following a three-pointer by Sheehan, and Daemen took a 35-33 lead into the break.
 
Daemen scored the first two points of the second half, before Chattin connected on three-straight three-pointers that gave AMU a 42-37 lead. Daemen answered with an 8-2 run and regained a 45-44 lead following a dunk by Beverly with 15:22 left to play. The game was knotted at 48-48 when a layup by Ogbonna sparked the Wildcats on a decisive 19-2 run. The run featured two three-pointers by Sheehan and one triple by Greene. A layup by Johnson off a feed from Sheehan capped the run and gave the Wildcats a 67-50 lead with 9:44 left.
 
Greene's fifth three-pointer of the game gave the Wildcats an 80-58 lead with 5:31 left, and back-to-back ally oop dunks by Beverly two minutes later put the exclamation point on the victory.
 
Daemen shot 65-percent (21-32) from the field and connected on 7-of-14 three-pointers in the second half. Daemen corralled 18 offensive rebounds and posted an 18-9 edge in second chance points. The Wildcats also posted a 50-40 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.