Box Score

CALDWELL, NJ - The Bloomfield College Women's Basketball team advances to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Championship game with a 62-47 win over Holy Family University tonight. The Deacons will play in the finals against CACC North Division rival and tournament host, Caldwell College tomorrow at 7:00pm.

Coach Caputo Post Game Interview

Freshman, guard Tianna Smith (Nanuet, NY) had a career-high 25 points on 11-for-14 shooting from the field and sophomore, guard Ariel Wilson (Chesapeake, VA) added a season-high 22 points as the dynamic duo combined for 76.0% of Bloomfield's offense on the night. The pair also combined for 7 rebounds and 7 assists with the top ranked defense in the East region holding Holy Family to their lowest offensive output of the season (47). The Tigers, who were 2-time defending CACC Champions finish the year with an 18-10 overall record while Bloomfield moves on to contend for it's first CACC Championship since becoming a NCAA Division II recognized institution in 2002. 

The Deacons led the game from wire-to-wire opening up the 1st half with an 8-0 run. Holy Family would push back but the lead would grow to twelve (18-6) after a Smith 3-pointer off a dish from senior Ivettlis Castro (Carteret, NJ). The margin would increase to thirteen (31-18) on a feed from Wilson resulting in a Smith layup. The Tigers were unable to get into a rhythm offensively as Bloomfield's swarming defense kept them off balance for most of the period. Heading in at the half, Holy Family found themselves trailing 34-23 and the Deacons showing no signs of letting up the pressure. 

The Tigers shot just 28.0% from the floor in the 1st half and Kasey Woetzel came off the bench to add in 6 points. On the other side of the ball, the Smith and Wilson combination accounted for 29 of Bloomfield's 34 points at the break. The Deacons connected on 13-of-27 shots in the half, while nabbing 7 steals and forcing 13 turnovers by Holy Family. The Tigers out-rebounded Bloomfield in the opening stanza 22-17.

In the second half the Deacons seemed to have an answer for every attempt Holy Family made to get back into the game, refusing to surrender their double-digit advantage for the entire period. Smith would score Bloomfield's last 7 points of the contest netting 12 of her game-high 25 points in the second half. Junior Tierra Scott (Bear, DE) snagged a team-high 7 rebounds to compliment her 6 points, 3 blocks and 3 steals for the night. Wilson went 3-for-5 from beyond the arc helping the Deacons punch their ticket to the Championship game.

Woetzel finished out the game with a team-high 15 points leading to a 22-4 bench advantage for Holy Family while Mary Ellen McCollum grabbed a game-high 8 rebounds to go along with 7 points.

The stage is now set for a rematch of the last game of the regular season when Caldwell visited the Deacons Den and walked away with a 57-54 victory over the North Division regular season champs. This time around Bloomfield will step foot on the Cougar home court looking for their first CACC Championship and a chance at redemption. Tipoff is set for 7:00 pm from the George R. Newman Center on the campus of Caldwell College. For those who cannot be in attendance, catch all the action LIVE by CLICKING HERE.  

Quarterfinals, Saturday, Mar. 1 - at Campus Sites
Game 1: 1S Philadelphia 69, 4N Dominican 51
Game 2: 2N Caldwell 70, 3S USciences 65
Game 3: 1N Bloomfield 61, 4S Goldey-Beacom 52
Game 4: 2S Holy Family 71, 3N Felician 50

Semifinals, Friday, Mar. 7 - at Caldwell College, Caldwell, N.J.
2N Caldwell 81, 1S Philadelphia 52
1N Bloomfield (18-9) vs. 2S Holy Family (18-9), 7:00 p.m.

Finals, Saturday, Mar. 8 - at Caldwell College, Caldwell, N.J.
2N Caldwell (18-10) vs. 1N Bloomfield (19-9), 7:00 p.m.