Box Score

BLOOMFIELD, NJ - The Deacons dropped their final regular season match up this evening to the Cougars of Caldwell College, 57-54. Bloomfield finishes the season atop the CACC North Division with a 15-4 record in conference play and a 17-9 mark overall. The Deacons will host the Quarterfinal round of the CACC Tournament this Saturday at 4:30 pm when they take on the 4th seed in the South Division, Chestnut Hill. The Cougars victory tonight improves them to 16-10 overall on the season with a 14-5 conference record and the 2nd seed in the North Division heading into the tournament.

Despite never leading in the entire game, Bloomfield found themselves in prime position, tied 54-54 with just 1:59 remaining after a 3-point play by freshman Morgan Taylor (Paterson, NJ). The Deacons comeback fell short however when junior Emily Caswell scored a layup with 8 seconds on the game clock that put the Cougars in position for the win.

The evening began with Bloomfield honoring the women's basketball program's four seniors, inviting Niiya Ruth (Hilside, NJ), Nakaida Thomas (Trenton, NJ),  Iliriana Lulgjuraj (Bloomfield, NJ) and Ivettlis Castro (Carteret, NJ) along with their families to the court for a pregame ceremony. After the festivities, Taylor and the four seniors entered the starting line up together as a unit for the first time this season watching Caldwell reel off the first seven points of the game. For a third consecutive game, Bloomfield spotted their CACC opponent a 0-7 advantage at the onset but unlike previous games, the Deacons were unable to overcome the deficit by halftime. The Cougars went to the locker room with a 34-20 advantage at the break and Bloomfield had shot just 26.0% from the field in the half.

Determined to make a game of it, the Deacons drew even at 38-38 following a layup by Taylor which capped an 18-4 run to begin the second stanza. Caldwell would answer with a 9-0 run of their own, pulling ahead 47-38 but Bloomfield would battle back, finally drawing even again at 54-54 setting up the finish down the stretch. 

Sophomore Ariel Wilson (Chesapeake, VA) scored 10 points for the Deacons followed by Taylor who saw all of her 9 points come in the second period. Castro led the seniors in scoring on the night with her 7 points while Thomas contributed 6 points to go along with 6 rebounds. Lulgjuraj finished up with 2 points and Ruth unded the game going 0-for-1 from the field. Junior Tierra Scott (Bear, DE) grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. On Caldwell side of the ball, Caswell led all scorers with 13 points and a team-high 9 rebounds.

With the regular season now complete and the program's first CACC North Division Championship secured, Bloomfield sets their sites on the conference tournament. The Quarterfinal round gets underway Saturday, March 1st at 4:30 pm for the #1 seeded Deacons who will host the Griffins in the Deacons Den. Catch all the action LIVE by CLICKING HERE.