Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014 - 3 p.m.
Aquinas Hall, Sparkill, N.Y.
Live Stats / Live Video

Daemen vs. Mercy
Monday, Jan. 6, 2014 - 7:30 p.m.
Mercy Gym, Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.
Live Stats / Live Video

Daemen vs. Dominican
Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014 - 8 p.m.
Hennessy Center, Orangeburg, N.Y.
Live Stats / Live Video

THE MATCHUPS: The Daemen College men's basketball team returns to action with a three-game road trip…the Wildcats will face St. Thomas Aquinas (Jan. 4) and Mercy (Jan. 6) in East Coast Conference (ECC) action, and conclude the trip with a non-conference game at Dominican (Jan. 7).

THE COACHES: Don Silveri is in his 25th season as head men's basketball coach at Daemen and has posted a 398-342 (.538) record during his time with the Wildcats...his Daemen record boasts eight 20-win seasons, including four consecutive from 2002-06 and seven in the last 11 years...he has guided the Wildcats to four conference championships (1999-2000, 2003-04, 2005-06, 2011-12), four appearances at the NAIA Division II National Tournament and one appearance at the USCAA National Tournament...2012-13 was a season for the record books as Silveri guided the Wildcats to a team-record 27 wins and a runner-up finish at the USCAA Tournament...he also spent time as head coach at Villa Maria College (1976-80) and Erie Community College (1982-86)…Tobin Anderson is in his first season as head men's basketball coach at STAC…he spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Siena College and also previously served as head coach at Clarkson (1999-04) and Hamilton (2004-11)…he entered the 2013-14 season with a career coaching record of 185-129 (.589)…Adam Parmenter is in his fourth season as head men's basketball coach at Mercy…he previously served as an assistant coach at Daniel Webster College…Joe Clinton is in his 23rd season as head men's basketball coach at Dominican and entered the 2013-14 season with a career coaching record of 330-318 (.509)…a three-time CACC Coach of the Year selection, he has guided the Chargers to one (2013) NCAA Division II Tournament appearance and two (2000, 2001) NAIA Division II Tournament appearances.

SILVERI TWO WINS SHY OF MILESTONE: Daemen head coach Don Silveri enters this weekend's action just two wins shy of recording his 400th victory at Daemen.

THE SERIES vs. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS: Saturday's game will mark the second all-time meeting between Daemen and St. Thomas Aquinas…the Wildcats suffered a 55-53 loss to the Spartans in the first-ever meeting on Jan. 28, 2000.

THE SERIES vs. MERCY: Monday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between Daemen and Mercy.

THE SERIES vs. DOMINICAN: Tuesday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between Daemen and Dominican.

NCAA DIVISION II: Daemen is in Candidacy Year Two of the NCAA Division II membership process...Daemen has been accepted as a member of the East Coast Conference (ECC) and will play full regular-season conference schedules beginning this fall...the College will also maintain its affiliation with the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) for postseason opportunities, as it will not be eligible for the ECC or NCAA postseason during Candidacy Year Two.

DAEMEN vs. NCAA DIVISION II OPPONENTS: The Wildcats went 6-3 against NCAA Division II opponents last season and are 11-7 against Division II teams since the start of the 2012-13 season.

THE WILDCATS (5-5, 2-3 ECC): Daemen returns four starters from last year's team that set a program-record for wins (27-6) in a season and advanced to the championship game of the USCAA Tournament…the Wildcats won four of their first six games, before suffering three-straight losses to LIU Post (93-85), New York Tech (84-79) and Molloy (78-69)…Daemen snapped the skid with a 90-77 win over Queens on Dec. 22…senior guard Casey Sheehan and junior forward Gerald Beverly top the list of returning players...Sheehan averaged a team-best 16.0 points per game and collected first-team USCAA All-America honors last year…he scored 22 points in the win over Queens and is averaging 15.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists…Beverly is coming off a breakout sophomore season in which he shot .597 from the field, averaged 14.3 points and led the team in rebounding (8.0 rpg) and blocks (59)...he was named second-team USCAA All-America…Beverly has scored in double figures in all 10 games this season and has recorded five double-doubles…he recorded back-to-back double-doubles against Molloy (19 pts, 16 rebs) and Queens (19 pts, 12 rebs) and is averaging 16.8 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks…senior forward Uchechi Ogbonna is off to a solid start this season…he has started all 10 games and is averaging 14.0 points and 10.5 rebounds…he has recorded three-straight double-doubles and equaled his career-high for points (20) and grabbed 10 rebounds in the win over Queens…senior point guard Mark Coppola and senior forward Kadeem Johnson also return to the starting lineup...Coppola started all 32 games and averaged 6.3 assists per game last year…he has returned to the starting lineup after being sidelined with an injury earlier this season…he totaled seven points and seven assists in the loss to NYIT and ranks second on the team in assists per game (4.7)…Johnson started 23 games, shot a team-high .603 from the field and averaged 10.1 points and 6.9 rebounds last year…he saw his first action of the year against Mercyhurst after suffering a preseason injury and scored a season-high 11 points in the win over Queens…he is averaging 9.0 points and 4.7 rebounds….junior sharpshooter Jordan Greene also returns after averaging 11.3 points with a team-high 69 three-pointers last year…he is shooting 41-percent (11-for-27) from downtown over the past five games and is averaging 11.1 points with a team-high 19 three-pointers overall…he canned 5-of-8 from three-point land and netted 17 points in the loss to LIU Post…sophomore guard Supreme Hannah made his first career start and played all 40 minutes in an early-season win over Goldey-Beacom…junior Aaron Davis is averaging 16 minutes off the bench and equaled his season-high for points (8) in the loss to LIU Post…Daemen is shooting 44-percent from the field overall, 27-percent from three-point land and 63-percent from the charity stripe…the Wildcats are scoring 76.9 points and allowing 76.7 points per game…Daemen owns a +4.2 rebounding margin (41.8 / 37.6).

COPPOLA NEARS CAREER ASSIST RECORD: Senior point guard Mark Coppola entered this season ranked second in career assists (469) behind Rob Robinson, who totaled 503 assists from 1988-92…Coppola has totaled 28 assists this season and enters this weekend's action just seven assists shy of moving into first place in career assists…he tied the school-record for assists in a season (203) last year.

ROAD WARRIORS: Saturday's game will mark the sixth of eight-straight road games for Daemen…the Wildcats are 2-5 in road games this season, but have prevailed in 10 of their last 15 road/neutral site games dating back to the end of last season.

THE SPARTANS (6-4, 2-2 ECC): St. Thomas Aquinas returns six players and two starters from last year's team that finished 5-23 (5-13 ECC)…STAC was voted 10th in the ECC preseason poll…the Spartans are off to a strong start despite the graduation of All-ECC guard Justin Brown and loss of 2012-13 ECC Rookie of the Year T.J. Jones who transferred to Slippery Rock…Brown averaged 18.2 points last year, while Jones averaged 13.8 points with a team-high 57 three-pointers…STAC won five of its first six games, but went just 1-3 during the month of December…the Spartans own league wins over District of Columbia (67-63) and Mercy (77-71) and have suffered ECC losses to Bridgeport (83-60) and Dowling (76-65)…senior forward Omar Kellman and freshman guard Chaz Watler have paced the Spartans thus far…Kellman netted 25 points in an early-season win over Wilmington and is averaging a team-high 16.3 points and 8.3 rebounds…Watler is a three-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection and poured in 24 points in the win over Mercy…he is averaging 13.1 points with a team-high 18 steals…junior transfer Marcus Henderson (11.0 ppg, 4.8 apg, 14 3pt fgs) and freshman guard Aaron Crust (10.9 ppg) have also produced…STAC is shooting 43-percent from the field overall, 27-percent from three-point land and 72-percent from the charity stripe…the Spartans are scoring 71.7 points and allowing 73.0 points per game…STAC owns a +0.2 rebounding margin (36.8 / 36.6).

THE MAVERICKS (1-9, 1-3 ECC):  Mercy returns seven players and three starters from last year's team that finished 4-22 (3-15 ECC)…Mercy was voted 11th in the ECC preseason poll…the Mavericks must overcome the graduation of All-ECC guard Justin Brown, who averaged a team-high 18.7 points and 6.9 rebounds last winter…the Mavericks opened the year with nine-straight losses before upsetting ECC preseason favorite Bridgeport (85-84) on Dec. 21…MC's three ECC losses have come against STAC (77-71), District of Columbia (83-66) and Dowling (77-63)…senior forward LaBrandon Smith has returned to the lineup after redshirting the 2012-13 season…he netted 21 points in the loss to Dowling and is averaging a team-high 13.1 points…sophomore guard Nate Stitchell scored 18 points in a season-opening 87-71 loss to Nyack and is averaging 9.9 points and a team-high 4.2 assists…senior forward Kirk Bailey had a double-double (21 pts, 13 rebs) in the win over Bridgeport and is averaging 9.8 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds…additional production has come from senior center Olajide Keshinro (8.7 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 28 blks) and senior guard Chaz Morrish (8.2 ppg, 3.2 apg, 17 3pt fgs)…Mercy is shooting 38-percent from the field overall, 32-percent from three-point land and 63-percent from the charity stripe…the Mavericks are scoring 69.7 points and allowing 82.3 points per game…Mercy owns a -7.4 rebounding margin (38.2 / 45.6).

THE CHARGERS (8-1, 5-0 CACC):  Dominican is a member of the NCAA Division II Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC)…Dominican returns nine players and one starter from last year's team that finished 22-7 (15-3 ECC), advanced to the semifinals of the CACC Tournament and earned a bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament…DC was voted third in the CACC North preseason poll…the Chargers opened the year with seven-straight wins before suffering a 70-67 loss at Eckerd College on Dec. 16…the Chargers rebounded with a 73-72 OT win at Tampa on Dec. 18…DC owns wins over ECC members New York Tech (88-71) and Queens (85-59)…the Chargers host Bentley (Jan. 3) and Southern Connecticut (Jan. 4) before taking on Daemen Tuesday…DC features the nation's leading scorer in junior Nick Smith, who has burst onto the scene after averaging just 8.1 points last year…the 6-foot-7, 230 pound forward has scored 30 or more points five times this season and is averaging 27.9 points and 6.8 rebounds…he netted 38 points in a 100-93 season-opening win over Bloomfield and followed that performance with a season-high 39 points in an 88-71 win over NYIT three days later…junior guard A.J. Burton has provided instant offense off the bench…he totaled 18 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and three steals in the win over Tampa and is averaging 11.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists…additional production has come from senior forward Justin Turner (9.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 16 blks), senior guard Khaleev Ginyard (9.0 ppg, 15 3pt fgs) and sophomore guard Joe Clinton (6.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 7.1 apg)…Dominican is shooting 47-percent from the field overall, 30-percent from three-point land and 73-percent from the charity stripe…the Chargers are scoring 81.1 points and allowing 71.8 points per game…Dominican owns a -1.5 rebounding margin (40.1 / 41.6).

LEAGUE RANKINGS: Daemen ranks fourth in the ECC in points per game (76.9), while STAC ranks eighth (71.7) and Mercy ranks ninth (69.7)…STAC ranks third in fewest points allowed per game (73.0), while Daemen ranks fourth (76.7) and Mercy ranks 10th (82.3)…Daemen leads the league in assists per game (15.9), ranks second in both rebounds per game (41.8) and rebound margin (+4.2), fourth in field goal percentage (.442) and fifth in blocks per game (4.1)…Mercy ranks second in steals per game (8.8) and third in blocks per game (4.5)…Daemen ranks fourth in free throws attempted per game (26.0) and sixth in free throws made per game (16.4)…STAC ranks second in free throw percentage (.718)…Casey Sheehan ranks 12th in points per game (15.8), second in assists per game (5.3) and third in steals per game (2.3)…Gerald Beverly leads the league in rebounding (10.6), ranks second in blocks (2.6), fifth in field goal percentage (.529) and seventh in scoring (16.8)…Uchechi Ogbonna leads the league in field goal percentage (.613) and ranks second in rebounding (10.5) and 14th in scoring (14.0)…Jordan Greene ranks fourth in three-point field goals (19), while Mark Coppola ranks fifth in assists (4.7)…Omar Kellman of STAC ranks 10th in scoring (16.2), second in field goal percentage (.585) and eighth in rebounding (8.2)…Chaz Watler of STAC ranks second in free throw percentage (39-45/.867) and sixth in steals (1.8)…Marcus Henderson of STAC ranks fourth in assists (4.8) and sixth in steals (1.8)…Nate Stitchell of Mercy ranks sixth in assists (4.2) and second in steals (2.6)…Kirk Bailey of Mercy  ranks seventh in rebounding (8.7), while teammate Olajide Keshinro leads the league in blocks (2.8) and ranks ninth in rebounding (8.1).

DID YOU KNOW?: Daemen is 29-1 since the start of the 2009-10 season when it scores 90 or more points…the lone loss came following a 97-95 loss to Newberry College last year…Daemen is the only ECC school with three players ranked among the league's Top-15 scoring leaders…Gerald Beverly (7th), Casey Sheehan (12th) and Uchechi Ogbonna (14th) are all ranked in the Top-15…Gerald Beverly has recorded at least one block in 15-straight games (and 24 of the last 25 games) dating back to the end of last season…Beverly has totaled 26 blocks over Daemen's first 10 games and has moved into third place in career blocks (135) among Daemen's all-time leaders…he stands 10 blocks shy of moving past Brian Pettit and into second place in career blocks…Mark Coppola posted a 2.74 (203/74) assist-to-turnover ratio last winter, which would have ranked him first in the East Region and seventh overall among NCAA Division II players...Coppola would have also ranked second in the region and sixth overall in assists per game (6.3)…Casey Sheehan entered his senior season ranked fourth in career assists (345) and stands just seven assists shy of 400 for his career…Sheehan is also one point shy of 1,200 for his career.

WHAT'S NEXT: Daemen will play its first home game since Nov. 23 when it hosts University of District of Columbia Sunday, Jan. 12 at 3 p.m.

FOLLOW THE WILDCATS: Follow Daemen College men's basketball on Twitter (@DaemenAthletics or @DaemenMBB) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/daemencollegeathletics or www.facebook.com/DaemenCollegeMensBasketball) to get live game updates and breaking news throughout the year.