BLOOMFIELD, NJ (November 17, 2010) - The men's basketball team improved to 2-1 on the young season Wednesday evening, as they outlasted the UDC Firebirds 95-90 to improve their home winning streak to 23 consecutive games.

The high-powered Bloomfield offense came out firing on all cylinders in the early going, orchestrating a 6-0 run to start the contest.  The Deacons used their patented full-court press to disrupt the UDC offense, forcing 13 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play to build a comfortable 49-34 advantage heading into the break.

It was more of the same in the early stages of the second half, with Bloomfield moving their lead to as many as 21 points.  But the Firebirds would not go quietly, as UDC shot 65% from the floor over the final 20 minutes of action to slash into the sizable deficit.  The visitors' run would move UDC to within just five points of the Deacons with three and half minutes to play, putting the home team on its heels.  But Bloomfield would hold on, and ice the game from the free-throw line in the waning minutes to hang on for the five-point decision.

Junior forward Matt Wafula led the charge for Bloomfield, notching 21 points on 9-16 shooting while pulling down six rebounds.  Gage Daye played the role of distributor on this night, dishing a game-high 10 assists while posting 22 points.  Ryan Rodrigues posted 20 points of his own on 7-13 shooting.

"This was a good win for us tonight," head coach Gerald Holmes said.  "We let them get back in the game there towards the end, so that's something we'll have to work on.  But offensively we played well, so there is a lot of positive things to take from tonight."

The team returns to action Saturday, November 20 when they travel to Springfield, Massachusetts to take on American International College.  Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 PM.