UNIONTOWN, Pa. – Senior Gerald Beverly (Rochester, N.Y./Gates Chili) totaled 21 points, 19 rebounds and three blocks, as the Daemen College men's basketball team survived an opening-round scare here today at the 2015 United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division 1 Tournament. The top-seeded Wildcats advanced to the semifinals following a 69-63 victory over eighth-seeded Indiana University South Bend.
Daemen improved to 19-10 on the year and will face either fourth-seeded Concordia College-Alabama or fifth-seeded Florida National University in the tournament semifinals tomorrow at 8 p.m. IU South Bend dropped to 12-19 and will play a consolation game tomorrow. The tournament is being hosted by Penn State Fayette.
Complete quarterfinal round results can be found HERE.
Beverly, who was named the USCAA Division 1 Player of the Year last night, connected on 6-of-10 shots and and made 9-of-11 free throws. The 19 rebounds gives him 984 for his career and moves him into second place in career rebounds among Daemen's all-time leaders. It marked the 19th double-double of the season (and 46th of his career) for Beverly, who scored 20 or more points for the 14th time this season and also scored in double figures for the 59th-straight game. Senior Jordan Greene (Fort Edward, N.Y./South Glens Falls) canned two three-pointers and totaled 12 points and five rebounds. He has now totaled a team-high 71 three-pointers on the year and stands just three triples shy of 200 for his career. Junior Supreme Hannah (Rochester, N.Y./Eastridge) added 13 points (11 in the second half) and four assists, while senior Kyle Clifford (West Seneca, N.Y./St. Francis) scored 10 of his 12 points after halftime.
IU South Bend, which entered the tournament ranked first among USCAA teams in three-pointers made and attempted, connected on 9-of-17 three-pointers in the first half and finished 13-of-27 from long range overall. Freshman forward Jacob Foster (Muncie, Ind.) went 3-for-6 from behind the arc and totaled a team-high 16 points. Freshman guard Jeremy Jones (Fort Wayne, Ind.) went 4-for-4 from downtown (all in the first half) and totaled 12 points, while freshman guard T.J. Benner (Mishawaka, Ind.) also drilled four triples and scored 12 points.
The teams traded baskets for the first 12 minutes of the first half and the game was tied at 18-18 when three-straight three-pointers sparked the Titans on an 11-0 run. A jumper by junior Riley Stichter (Milford, Ind.) with 4:37 left in the half capped the run and gave the Titans a 29-18 lead. The teams traded baskets the rest of the half and IU South Bend took a 39-31 lead into the break.
Daemen outscored the Titans 19-7 over the first eight minutes of the second half and tied the game at 48-48 following a jumper by Clifford with 12:16 left to play. Beverly gave the Wildcats their first lead since the 8:56 mark of the first half when his put back with 8:12 left gave Daemen a 54-52 lead. IU South Bend held a 58-57 lead with just under four minutes left when a dunk by Beverly sparked the Wildcats on a decisive 12-2 run. Two free throws by Hannah with 0:14 seconds left capped the run and gave Daemen a 69-60 lead.
Daemen earned the win despite shooting just 40-percent (23-for-58) from the field overall and just 3-for-20 from downtown. The Wildcats made 20-of-23 free throws (15-of-18 in the second half) and outscored the Titans 20-6 from the charity. Daemen posted a 46-29 advantage in total rebounds and collected 17 offensive rebounds, which led to a 24-10 advantage in second-chance points. The Wildcats also finished with a 32-16 edge in points in the paint.
Daemen is making its third-straight appearance in the USCAA Tournament and is seeking its first national championship. The Wildcats lost in the championship game two years ago and fell in the semifinals last year.
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