THE LEAD: The Daemen College men's basketball team travels to Dowling College (Feb. 13) and the University of Bridgeport (Feb. 14) this weekend for East Coast Conference games…the Wildcats will play five of their final seven regular-season games away from the friendly confines of Lumsden Gymnasium…Daemen is looking to keep pace with St. Thomas Aquinas and Bridgeport atop the ECC standings.
Friday, Feb. 13, 2015
Daemen at Dowling - 7 p.m.
Dowling Gymnasium, Oakdale, N.Y.
LIVE STATS / LIVE VIDEO / DAEMEN ROSTER / DAEMEN STATS / DC ROSTER / DC STATS
Friday, Feb. 14, 2015
Daemen at Bridgeport - 4 p.m.
Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium, Bridgeport, Conn.
LIVE STATS / LIVE VIDEO / UB ROSTER / UB STATS
POLL POSITION: Daemen is ranked 10th in the latest D2SIDA Division II East Region poll…the poll includes the top-ten teams from the East Coast Conference, the Northeast-10 Conference and the Central Collegiate Athletic Conference…Daemen is also ranked No. 1 in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) poll.
THE COACHES: Mike MacDonald is in his first season as head men's basketball coach at Daemen College after spending the past eight years at Medaille College where he transformed the program into a regional contender at the NCAA Division III level…inheriting a program that went 4-46 in the two years prior to his arrival, MacDonald's version of the Mavericks averaged 18 wins a season, while advancing to the postseason six times…Medaille's emergence as a Division III power in the Northeast was cemented in the last five seasons, as MacDonald led the Mavericks to more wins (101) than any other Division III team in New York State, while ranking 17th nationally in wins during the same time frame…MacDonald was named the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year on four occasions (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012)…he left Medaille as the school's all-time leader in wins (148) and winning percentage (.670)…prior to his stint at Medaille, MacDonald served as the head coach at Canisius College from 1997-2006, guiding the Golden Griffins to 108 wins which ranks him third in program history for coaching victories…in 17 seasons as a collegiate head coach, MacDonald has achieved a record of 271-232 (.538 winning percentage)…John Mateyko is in his first season as head men's basketball coach at Dowling…he spent the past 13 seasons at St. Joseph's College on Long Island and was named the Skyline Conference Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2012…he posted a 190-129 (.596) recorded during his 13 years at SJC and guided the Golden Eagles to two NCAA Division III Tournament appearances…Mike Ruane is in his 15th year as head men's basketball coach at Bridgeport…the 2011 ECC Coach of the Year, he posted a record of 269-151 (.640) over the past 14 seasons and has led to Purple Knights to nine 20-win seasons and eight appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
MOVE TO II: Daemen is in Candidacy Year Three of the NCAA Division II membership process…Daemen was accepted as a member of the East Coast Conference (ECC) in July of 2012 and began playing full regular-season conference schedules in the fall of 2013…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 Three.
DAEMEN vs. NCAA DIVISION II OPPONENTS: The Wildcats went 20-5 against NCAA Division II opponents last season and are 39-14 (.736) against NCAA Division II teams since the start of the 2012-13 season.
THE SERIES vs. DOWLING: Friday's game will mark the fourth all-time meeting between Daemen and Dowling…Daemen has prevailed in each of the previous three meetings…the Wildcats posted an 89-88 victory over the Golden Lions last month at Lumsden Gym…Nick Petrucelli made one of two free throws with 1.6 seconds to play to lift the Wildcats to the win…Gerald Beverly led the way with 27 points, a career-21 rebounds and six blocks…Darien Davis countered with 27 points and 11 boards…Daemen swept the season series last year…the Wildcats handed the Golden Lions their first ECC loss of the year following a 77-72 OT win at Dowling…Daemen trailed by 16 points early in the second half and was down by 10 points (62-52) with four minutes left…Jordan Greene drilled five three-pointers and equaled his career-high for points (28) to lead Daemen…Beverly added 17 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks…Davis paced Dowling with four three-pointers, 22 points and five steals…Daemen completed the sweep with a 100-92 win at Lumsden Gym…Casey Sheehan led the Wildcats with a season-high 34 points, while Beverly added 19 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks…Corwin Austin (24 pts, 8 rebs) and Davis (21 pts) led the Golden Lions.
THE SERIES vs. BRIDGEPORT: Saturday's game will mark the fourth all-time meeting between Daemen and Bridgeport…Daemen has prevailed in each of the previous three meetings…the Wildcats posted a 91-88 OT victory over the Purple Knights last month at Lumsden Gym…Daemen battled back from a 17-point first-half deficit…Gerald Beverly scored a season-high 36 points and also totaled 15 rebounds and three blocks…Jordan Greene added his second career double-double (19 pts, 10 asts)…Ernest Rouse led the Purple Knights with 24 points…Daemen swept the season series last year…the Wildcats posted a 90-79 victory over the Purple Knights at Bridgeport…Daemen held a 48-45 lead early in the second half when the Wildcats took control with a 16-4 run that gave them a 64-49 lead with 13 minutes left…Beverly led a balanced attack with 20 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, while Kyle Clifford (4-5 from three, 16 points) and Aaron Davis (12 points) contributed off the bench…Sean Berry led the Purple Knights with 20 points and six boards…Daemen completed the sweep with a 75-66 win at Lumsden Gym…the victory earned Daemen the ECC regular-season title…Casey Sheehan netted 24 points, while Kadeem Johnson (19 pts, 9 rebs) and Beverly (15 pts, 14 rebs, 6 blks) also contributed…Ivan Simic led the Purple Knights with 15 points and nine boards.
THE WILDCATS (15-6; 10-3 ECC): Daemen returns eight players and just one starter from last year's team that posted a 21-7 overall record and claimed the East Coast Conference regular-season championship (17-3) in its first season as a league member…Daemen was voted third in the 2014-15 ECC preseason poll…the Wildcats won 10 of their first 13 games, and are 5-3 over their last eight…Daemen is playing its first game since posting a 102-74 victory over District of Columbia on Feb. 6…senior forward Gerald Beverly and junior transfer Torrence Dyck have paced the Wildcats…Beverly, the 2013-14 ECC Defensive Player of the Year and 2014-15 ECC Co-Preseason Player of the Year, has recorded 16 double-doubles…he leads the team in scoring (20.4 ppg) and leads the ECC in rebounding (12.2 rpg), field goal percentage (.618) and blocks (81)…Dyck has scored 20 or more points in 13 of DC's 21 games and is averaging 20.1 points and 5.6 rebounds…senior Jordan Greene scored a season-high 19 points and dished out a career-high 10 assists in a 91-88 OT win over Bridgeport and is averaging 11.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists with a team-high 42 three-pointers…junior guard Supreme Hannah is shooting 43-percent from three-point land (27-for-62) and is averaging 10.6 points and 3.5 assists…additional production has come from seniors Kyle Clifford and Aaron Davis and freshman Nick Petrucelli…Clifford has scored in double figures 10 times and is averaging 8.3 points with 35 three-pointers…Davis has started 18 games and is contributing 4.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game…Petrucelli is averaging 18 minutes a game and is averaging 3.7 points.
THE GOLDEN LIONS (9-12; 7-7 ECC): Dowling returns 10 players and two starters from last year's team that finished 22-7 (16-4 ECC) and advanced to the ECC Tournament…DC was voted fifth in the 2014-15 ECC preseason poll…Dowling has dropped three of its last four games and is coming off an 82-68 loss to LIU Post last weekend…Dowling has been without the services of senior guard Darien Davis the past six games…the 2014-15 ECC Co-Preseason Player of the Year, he was averaging 23.9 points before his injury and netted a season-high 37 points in a win over Adelphi…junior center Evan Maxwell, a former ECC All-Rookie team selection, totaled 18 points and 15 rebounds in last weekend's loss to LIU Post and is averaging 13.1 points and 9.8 rebounds…additional production has come from sophomore Ryan Hickey (13.0 ppg, 2.8 apg, 39 3pt fgs), senior Donte Adams (10.9 ppg, 46 3pt fgs) and freshman Tristan Brown (9.0 ppg, 4.5 apg)…Adams drilled seven three-pointers and scored 25 points in an 86-85 win over NYIT on Feb. 4.
THE PURPLE KNIGHTS (16-6; 11-3 ECC): Bridgeport returns seven players and just one starter from last year's team that finished 18-11 overall and 14-6 in the ECC…UB claimed the ECC tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament…UB was voted first in the 2014-15 ECC preseason poll…UB hosts Roberts Wesleyan Friday (Feb. 13) before facing Daemen Saturday…UB is ranked 8th in the latest D2SIDA East Region poll…the Purple Knights suffered a 114-103 OT loss to NYIT last weekend and are coming off a 74-56 non-league win over Goldey-Beacom on Tuesday…newcomer Devon Elliott and veterans Ernest Rouse and Willie Williams III have paced the Purple Knights…Elliott, who averaged 20.5 points at Erie Community College two years ago, scored a season-high 32 points in the OT loss to NYIT and is averaging a team-high 16.3 points with 48 three-pointers…Rouse had six triples and 23 points in the win over Goldey-Beacom and is averaging 15.1 points with a team-high 61 triples…Williams totaled 26 points and 13 boards in the loss to NYIT and is averaging 13.2 points and a team-high 9.6 rebounds…additional production has come from junior Eddie Asamoah (9.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and senior Nagwan Crowell (7.0 ppg, 3.7 apg)…junior college transfer Jesse Jones (who drilled 87 three-pointers at Passaic CC last year) missed the first nine games of the year, but has averaged 11.3 points with 23 three-pointers over the past 13 games.
CONFERENCE CHAMPS: Daemen claimed the East Coast Conference regular-season championship last year in its first season of eligibility after posting a 17-3 league mark…the Wildcats closed out the regular-season by winning 16 consecutive league games—a streak that reached a Division-II best 21-straight league wins before the Wildcats suffered a 95-87 loss at St. Thomas Aquinas on Jan. 16…Daemen has posted an ECC-best 27-6 league record over the past two seasons.
20/20: Daemen has reached the 20-win plateau in each of that last three seasons (and eight times over the past 12 seasons).
ECC HONOR ROLL: Gerald Beverly has been honored as the ECC Player of the Week three times this season and is also a three-time selection to the weekly ECC honor roll…Torrence Dyck, Jr. is a three-time selection to the weekly ECC honor roll.
NATIONAL HONOR FOR BEVERLY: Senior forward Gerald Beverly was named the Division II National Player of the Week by the United States Basketball Writers Association after averaging 25.3 points, 16.7 rebounds and 3.7 blocks during recent wins over Washington Adventist University, Dowling College and the University of Bridgeport.
BEVERLY'S BLOCK PARTY: Gerald Beverly has recorded at least one block in 60 of the last 64 games dating back to the end of the 2012-13 season…he had a streak of 41-straight games with at least one block snapped during a win over District of Columbia on Jan. 3…he tied the ECC record for blocks in a game (12) during DC's win over St. Thomas (Fla.) on Dec. 17 and ranks high among all Division II players in blocks per game (3.8)…he recently replaced 2006 graduate Ron Wright as Daemen's leader in career blocks and recorded his 300th career rejection during last weekend's win over UDC…he enters this weekend's action with 301 blocks in 110 career games (2.7 per game)…he has become just the third player in ECC history to record 300 career blocks.
MORE BEVERLY: Gerald Beverly has scored in double figures in 51-straight games and has recorded 43 career double-doubles…he registered his first career triple-double (17 pts, 17 rebs, 12 blks) during Daemen's win over St. Thomas (Fla.) on Dec. 17…Beverly has already become the first player in program history to total 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 blocks in a career…he scored his 1,600th point last weekend and enters this weekend's action just 13 rebounds shy of 900 career rebounds…he ranks fifth in career points (1,608), third in career rebounds (887) and first in career blocks (301) among Daemen's all-time leaders.
GREENE HITS 150 TRIPLES: Senior Jordan Greene drilled four three-pointers during Daemen's win over Bridgeport on Jan. 10 and in the process recorded his 150th career triple…he has totaled 168 triples in 109 career games and has become just the fifth player in program history to reach 150 career three-pointers…he has made at least one three-pointer in 32-straight games and stands 53 points shy of 1,000 career points.
JUNIOR MINTS: Juniors Supreme Hannah and Torrence Dyck, Jr. have played a big role in Daemen's success…Hannah, who averaged just 3.3 points a game over his freshman and sophomore seasons is enjoying a breakout season…he has scored in double figures nine times this season and is averaging 10.6 points…he is averaging a team-high 3.5 assists and also leads the team in three-point field goal percentage (27-62/.435)…Dyck, a junior college transfer, has started all 21 games and ranks second in scoring (20.1 ppg)…he has scored at least 20 points 13 times and netted a season-high 35 points in the 95-87 loss at St. Thomas Aquinas on Jan. 16.
DID YOU KNOW?: Daemen is 42-2 since the start of the 2009-10 season when it scores 90 or more points.
WHAT'S NEXT: Daemen is idle until next weekend when it hosts St. Thomas Aquinas College (Feb. 20) and Mercy College (Feb. 21) in ECC action…Daemen's complete 2014-15 schedule can be accessed HERE.
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.
