MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Five players scored in double figures to lead the Daemen College men's basketball team to a 91-75 victory over St. Thomas University here tonight in non-conference action. The game was part of the Trip Sports Cruzin' Classic being hosted by Barry University.
Daemen ran its winning streak to four games and improved to 6-2 on the year. STU dropped to 4-5. STU has established itself as one of the top Division II programs in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in recent years. The Bobcats have averaged 23 wins over the past three seasons and have made three-straight appearances in the NAIA Division II Tournament.
Senior Gerald Beverly (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili) and junior Torrence Dyck, Jr. (Rochester, N.Y./San Jacinto College) paced the Daemen attack. Beverly continued his dominating play of late, as he recorded his first career triple-double with 17 points, 17 rebounds and a career-high 12 blocks. The reigning East Coast Conference player of the week, he registered his sixth-straight and 33rd career double-double. He has now scored in double figures in 38-straight games and has recorded at least one block in 41-straight games. After tonight's effort he is averaging an impressive 19.0 points, 13. rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game. Dyck connected on 9-of-17 shots and scored a team-high 24 points. It marked the fifth 20-point performance on the year for Dyck, who is averaging 18.3 points per game. He also dished out a season-high six assists to go along with five rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
Junior guard Supreme Hannah (Rochester, N.Y./Eastridge) registered his first career double-double, as he finished with 10 points and 10 assists. Senior Jordan Greene (Fort Edward, N.Y./South Glens Falls) went 3-for-3 from downtown and finished with 11 points, while classmate Kyle Clifford (West Seneca, N.Y./St. Francis) scored 12 points in 17 minutes off the bench.
Junior David Santiago (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) led the Bobcats with 26 points, 10 rebounds and four steals.
Daemen jumped out to a 15-2 lead five minutes into the game, and the Wildcats later took a 35-13 lead following a dunk by Beverly with 8:46 left before halftime. STU cut the lead to 16 points, 38-22, with just over four minutes left in the first half, but Daemen regained a 21-point advantage following five-straight points by Clifford and the Wildcats took a 49-29 lead into the break.
Greene's third three-pointer of the game gave Daemen a 61-36 lead four minutes into the second half, but the Bobcats rallied with a 20-8 run over the next six minutes that cut the lead to 13 points, 69-56. The teams traded baskets for the next three minutes and Daemen held a 76-64 lead when the Wildcats ran off nine unanswered points to secure the win. Beverly scored the first five points of the run, and a layup by freshman Nick Petrucelli (Hicksville, N.Y./Thomasville Prep) with 4:39 left capped the run and gave Daemen an 85-64 lead.
Daemen shot 59-percent (19-32) from the field in the first half and finished 36-for-66 (54%) from the field overall. It marked the fourth time in eight games the Wildcats have shot over 50-percent from the field. STU connected on just 26-percent (12-for-46) of its shots in the opening half and finished 30-for-83 (36%) from the field overall. The Wildcats recorded at least 10 three-pointers for the second-straight game, as Daemen finished 10-for-23 from downtown. STU was just 6-for-18 from behind the three-point arc. Daemen finished with a 46-36 edge in points in the paint and the Wildcats finished with a 16-1 advantage in blocked shots.
Daemen will play its second and final game of the tournament tomorrow (Dec. 18) when it takes on the University of Indianapolis at 8 p.m. UIndy is undefeated (8-0) and ranked ninth nationally in this week's NABC NCAA Division II poll. The Greyhounds knocked off tournament host Barry University Tuesday night, 78-73, in a battle of unbeaten and nationally-ranked teams.
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