2012 NCAA DIVISION II MEN'S BASKETBALL BRACKET
BLOOMFIELD-STONEHILL BOXSCORE
WORCESTER, Mass. (March 13, 2012) – Freshman guard Marvin Williams (Jersey City, N.J.) led all players with 28 points as No. 5 seed Bloomfield College fell 75-70 to No. 2 seed Stonehill College in the 2012 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball East Regional Final on Tuesday night at Laska Gym on the campus of Assumption College.
The Deacons, which captured the Central Atlantic Conference (CACC) Tournament and North Division regular season titles, finishes its season 26-8 overall.
The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Deacons against Northeast-10 opponents in NCAA Tournament games. Bloomfield had defeated AIC, Stonehill, Bentley, UMass-Lowell and Franklin Pierce for its last five NCAA postseason wins.
Stonehill (24-8) advances to the 2012 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Elite Eight on March 21-24 at the Bank of Kentucky Center in Highland Heights, Ky. Northern Kentucky University will serve as the host institution.
Williams was named to the 2012 All-East Region Tournament Team and was joined by teammate Matt Wafula (Harlem, N.Y.), Ellis Cooper (Franklin Pierce), Patrick Lee (Stonehill) and Brian Hamor (Stonehill), who was selected as the East Region's Most Outstanding Player.
Bloomfield led for the majority of the first half and by as many as six before Stonehill went on a 9-0 run over a 1:46 stretch to open a 21-18 advantage at 4:55.
Marvin Williams knotted the score for Bloomfield at 21-21 following a successful drive and subsequent free throw but the Skyhawks would go on an 11-4 run to close out the half and go into halftime holding a 32-25 advantage. Williams paced the Deacons in the opening 20 minutes with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
Stonehill built on its lead early in the second half as went on a 14-8 run to increase its lead to 46-33 with 15:28 remaining. Bloomfield trimmed the margin to 50-45 with under 12 minutes remaining and following a mini surge by
Stonehill to get the lead back to nine at 56-47, the Deacons put together an 11-2 surge which saw them tie the game at 58-58 on a 3-pointer by sophomore Steve Henderson (West Orange, N.J.) with 5:50 remaining.
But it would be the closest the Deacons would come to overtaking the Skyhawks, as Stonehill was once again able to extend their lead for the final time and thwart the hopes of a Bloomfield comeback. A late three by Williams cut the deficit to five, but time would run out on the late charge, with the CACC's champions falling just short of a return trip to the Elite Eight.
Wafula added a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds for Bloomfield in the loss, while Ahmad Harris (Linden, N.J.) recorded 10 points and six assists. Williams pulled down seven rebounds to go along with his game-best 28 points.
