BLOOMFIELD, NJ (January 29, 2011) -  The men's basketball team fell to 10-7 overall and saw their 31-game home winning streaked snapped Saturday afternoon, as they fell to the Goldey Beacom College Lightning in a 102-96 overtime thriller.  The setback dropped Bloomfield to 7-2 in CACC play.

Junior forward Matt Wafula got off to a blistering start in the early going, converting his first four field goal attempts and helping the Deacons jump out to a 14-6 lead. But the Lightning remained within striking distance, eventually orchestrating an 8-0 run to take a 33-28 lead with just over seven minutes remaining.  The visitors seemed to have an answer for anything their counterparts could engineer, lengthening their lead to as many as 15 points and putting the sixth-longest homecourt winning streak in Division II hoops in serious jeopardy.  The Lightning took a 49-36 lead into the break, leaving the North Division's top club searching for answers as it headed into halftime.

The 2010-2011 season has been marked by dramatic second-half comebacks on the Deacons' home floor, and Saturday's contest proved to be no different.  The trio of Wafula, Gage Daye and Ryan Rodrigues led the surge, chipping away at the Goldey Beacom lead and finally drawing even at 82 apiece with just under four minutes remaining. 

Held to just two points in the first half, Rodrigues erupted for 19 in the final 20 minutes, providing the Deacons and their home crowd the jolt they so desperately needed.  The score remained knotted into the remaining seconds of regulation, the Deacons controlling the ball with one possession remaining.  But Daye's fadeaway jumper drew iron as time expired, sending the game to extra time. 

The Lightning rallied after Bloomfield's late surge, controlling the action and eventually sending Daye to the bench, the senior fouling out with a 24-point, 11 rebound, 10 assist triple-double.  The Deacons tried to mount another comeback in the final minutes, but the effort fell short, the club's suffering their first home loss in nearly three years.

Rodrigues finished the day with 21 points, while Wafula notched a career and game-high 31 points and nine rebounds in the setback. 

The team will return to action Tuesday, February 1 with a home contest against CACC North Division rival Nyack College.  Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 PM.