United States Collegiate Athletic Association
Men's Division 1 Championship Tournament – Championship
 
Daemen (27-6) 31-36—67
Rochester (23-4) 28-42—70
 
 
UNIONTOWN, Pa. – Down 15 points with six minutes to play, Daemen College staged a valiant rally but came up just short and suffered a 70-67 setback to top-seeded Rochester College here today in the championship game of the 2013 United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.
 
The third-seeded Wildcats saw their nine-game winning streak come to an end and close out their record-setting season with a 27-6 record. Rochester, which lost in the title game last year, claimed its third USCAA national championship and improved to 23-4 on the year.
 
Sophomore Gerald Beverly (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili) led Daemen with 19 points and 11 rebounds—his 11th double-double of the year. His efforts earned him a spot on the all-tournament team. Junior Kadeem Johnson (Syracuse, N.Y./Henninger) added nine points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats, while sophomore Aaron Davis (North Tonawanda, N.Y./North Tonawanda) chipped in eight points in 13 minutes off the bench.
 
USCAA All-Americans Dramell Hogan and Drew Maynard led the Warriors. Hogan totaled 33 points, seven rebounds and three steals, as he connected on 9-of-14 field goals and 14-of-20 free throws. Maynard netted 19 points and grabbed 21 rebounds.
 
Poor shooting and foul trouble plagued Daemen throughout the game. Junior guard Casey Sheehan (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Athena), who totaled 44 points in Daemen's first two games of the tournament, picked up his fourth foul five minutes into the second half and played just seven minutes in the second half. He fouled out with five minutes to play and finished with eight points, three assists and two steals. Starting point guard Mark Coppola (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South) played just 10 minutes in the first half due to foul trouble and was limited to just four points and three assists in the game. Starting forward Jim Regan (Williamsville, N.Y./Nichols) also saw limited playing time due to foul trouble and totaled nine points in his collegiate finale.  Coppola's three assists tied the team single season record of 203 previously established by Derrick Henry in 1988-89.
 
Daemen's high-scoring offense was unable to get on track, as a total of 51 fouls were whistled and the teams combined to take 62 free throws. Rochester went 25-of-38 from the charity stripe, while Daemen was 17-for-24. The Wildcats, who entered the game shooting 49-percent from the field on the year, connected on just 22-of-60 shots (37%) today and made just 6-of-23 attempts from three-point land.
 
The Wildcats took a 40-35 lead when Sheehan drained his second three-pointer of the game with 16:24 left to play. Sheehan, who was also named to the all-tournament team, would exit the game after he picked up two fouls over the next minute—giving him four fouls overall. Coppola was already on the bench with three fouls, and Rochester took advantage with a 17-4 run over the next five minutes. A three-pointer by Hogan with 10:28 to play capped the run and gave the Warriors a 52-44 lead. Hogan later gave the Warriors their largest lead of the game, 63-48, when he converted a layup with 6:01 left.
 
Daemen refused to got down without a fight, and quickly cut the lead to 10 points with a layup by Beverly and a three-pointer by Coppola. Rochester regained a 13-point lead when it hit three-of-four free throws, but a layup by Beverly sparked the Wildcats on an 11-4 run that cut the lead to four points. A three-pointer by Regan with 1:39 left capped the run and made the score 68-64. Rochester got two free throws from Matt Gold with 1:34 to play, and Beverly made it a three-point game, 70-67, when he dunked over Hogan, was fouled and canned the free throw with 59 seconds left.
 
Rochester worked the clock down on its next possession, but came up empty and Daemen had the ball and a chance to tie with 23 seconds left. A three-pointer by Alvin Satram (New Port Richey, Fla./Pasco-Hernando CC) with eight seconds left was off the mark and Rochester got possession to secure the win.
 
A tightly played first half featured four ties and eight lead changes. Neither team led by more than five points during the opening 20 minutes. After connecting on just four of its first 19 shots, the Wildcats shot at a 58-percent clip (7-12) over the final 7:34 of the half and turned a 15-10 deficit into a 31-28 halftime lead.
 
Bench support played a huge role for Daemen during the first half, as Davis and Satram led the charge. Davis netted six points in five minutes, while Satram scored five points, including a three-pointer with 1:09 left before the break that gave the Wildcats a 29-27 lead.
 
Daemen posted an edge in points off turnovers (26-16), while Rochester finished with an edge in second chance points (20-11) and points in the paint (24-20).
 
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.