Box Score

BLOOMFIELD, NJ - For the first time since the program joined the NCAA Division II as an institution in 2002, the Bloomfield College women's basketball team has clinched the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) North Division regular season title with a 68-62 win over the visiting Devils from the University of the Sciences this afternoon. The victory marks the Deacons 7th consecutive conference win, improving them to 15-3 in CACC action and 17-8 overall. The Devils fall to 12-6 in conference play and 17-8 overall.

For the 2nd consecutive conference game, Bloomfield spotted their CACC opponnets a 7-0 lead to start off the contest and for the second time the Deacons answered back, this time with a 14-3 run capped by freshmen Tianna Smith (Nanuet, NY) and Morgan Taylor (Paterson, NJ) netting back to back 3-pointers and then a Smith layup. The Deacons would never trail again in the match up as senior Ivettlis Castro (Carteret, NJ) came off the bench to knock down 3 shots from beyond the arc and Bloomfield enjoyed a 38-29 lead at halftime. For the Devils, junior Jessica Sylvestor (Trevose, PA) led all scorers at the break, scorching 17 points on 4-for-5 shooting from downtown and adding 5-for-6 from the charity stripe.

In the second period, Bloomfield would extend their lead to as many as 15 (55-40) but the Devils would use a 11-2 run to get within 6 (57-51) with 5:22 remaining on the clock. The Deacons would not be denied however and sophomore Ariel Wilson (Chesapeake, VA) along with junior Tierra Scott (Bear, DE) poured in Bloomfield's final 11 points and the University of the Sciences could not close the distance eventually surrendering the 68-62 loss.
Wilson finished the game with a team-high 20 points, 12 of which came in the 2nd period. Scott saw 8 of her 10 points on the night come in the second stanza as well.

Bloomfield had a balanced offensive attack, distributing the scoring load as Castro and Taylor each contributed 11 points to round out the double-figure scorers on the Deacon side. For the University of the Sciences, Sylvestor finished up with a season-high 27 points. The Deacons held a slight advantage on the boards (31-29) and out-shot the Devils 46.0% to 44.0% for the game. Bloomfield held a huge edge in bench productivity, posted a 20-2 point margin in that area.

Now sitting a full two games ahead of Caldwell College with just 1 CACC contest left to play, ironically enough against the rival Cougars, this afternoon's win gives the Deacons the outright regular season North Division title and first year Head Coach Caputo a big sense of pride. "So happy for our ladies... We don't have any selfish stars, we are a balanced team," commented Coach Caputo after today's victory.

Next up, the Deacons look to close out the regular season with their 8th consecutive CACC win when crosstown rival Caldwell College comes to the Den for Senior Night this Tuesday, February 25th at 6:00PM. We invite you to attend as Bloomfield College women's basketball recognizes it's 4 seniors for their career accomplishments on and off the court. If you can't make it to the gym, don't miss a minute of the action...catch it all LIVE by CLICKING HERE.