BOX SCORE

BLOOMFIELD, N.J. (January 15, 2013) - Junior point guard Dondre Whitmore (Trenton, N.J.) led a trio of double-figure scorers with 17 points Tuesday night, as the Bloomfield College men's basketball team staged a late-game rally in the game's final minutes to top first-place conference rival Dominican College in a dramatic 69-68 home victory. 

The win marks the 200th in the decorated head coaching career of Deacons head coach Gerald Holmes, who reaches the plateau in his 11th season at the helm of the program.  During his tenure, Bloomfield has captured five CACC Tournament Championships and earned four trips to the NCAA Tournament, securing the first East Regional Tournament Championship in the history of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference and the school's first Elite Eight appearance during the 2010-2011 season.  Bloomfield has totaled six 20-win seasons in Holmes' ten full seasons on the sidelines, the program reaching unprecedented heights and establishing itself as a perennial power in Division II Basketball's East Region during his spectacular tenure.

"To win 200 games as a head coach means you have had the opportunity to coach great players, and I have had the opportunity to do that every year I have been here at Bloomfield," Holmes said of the landmark win.  "We have had a lot of success over the past ten-plus years, and that is due first and foremost to each player that has played here, along with the rest of our coaching staff.  This is just as much their accomplishment as it is mine, and it is an opportunity to recognize the things they have been able to do, and the places they have been able to take this program."

It appeared as though Holmes would have to wait another game to pick up number 200, as the Deacons trailed 35-29 at the half against their CACC North Division-leading counterparts.  Dominican would hold the advantage until the final nine minutes of the contest, the Chargers maintaining a double-digit lead at 57-47 heading into the game's final stages. But the Deacons would outscore Dominican 22-11 over the remainder of the contest, staging a dramatic late-game comeback that saw the club finally tie the game at 63 on a clutch three-pointer by Whitmore with just over two minutes to play. 

A Dominican bucket put the Chargers back in front 65-63, but Bloomfield's Matt Hall (Brooklyn, N.Y.) brought the home team even on the next possession, slashing to the basket for a layup with 1:27 remaining.  Consecutive turnovers by Dominican gave the Deacons four free-throw attempts, with Bloomfield converting three to take a 68-65 lead.  The Chargers would counter with three free-throws of their own, the final two coming on a Bloomfield technical foul with three seconds to play.  With the score tied at 68, junior forward Mike Williams (Ewing, N.J.) stepped to the line for the Deacons, and converted one of two tries from the charity stripe to give Bloomfield its final lead of the evening.  Dominican's final possession ended in a turnover in the backcourt, handing the Deacons a wild victory and moving the club to 9-8 overall and 7-2 in CACC play.  

Whitmore added six rebounds and three steals to his banner performance, while Hall totaled 14 points on 4-of-12 shooting.  Junior forward Kevin Udo (West Orange, N.J.) notched an impressive double-double with 14 points, 15 rebounds and a game-high 4 blocks.  

Bloomfield returns to action Wednesday, January 23, when they host CACC North Division rival Concordia College.  Tip-off for the contest is scheduled for 8:00 PM.