BLOOMFIELD, NJ – The Bears men's basketball saw four players score in double-digits Wednesday evening as they defeated the University of Bridgeport (UB), 90-80. The fast-paced Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) thriller at The Den improved Bloomfield's overall record to 11-6 on the season and pushed their league mark to 3-3 while The Purple Knights fell to 7-9 overall and 1-4 in league contests after the setback.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
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Starrell Hearns registered his first career start after being named the CACC Rookie of the Week and scored a game-high 19 points (7-15 FG, 1-4 3PT, 4-4 FT) in 31 minutes of action and grabbed 8 boards, 3 steals, 3 assists and a block.
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Deavion Ellis dished out 6 assists to go along with his 15-point (5-11 FG, 2-2 3PT, 3-6 FT) performance, grabbing 5 rebounds and snagging 3 steals.
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Al Fatir Connor added 14 points (6-13 FG, 1-4 3PT, 1-2 FT), 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
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Edward Ngene continues to lead the nation in blocks per game (3.93) and swatted 8 shots against UB to go along with 12 points and 8 boards, narrowly missing a triple-double.
KEY MOMENTS
· The teams were evenly matched across the first eight minutes of play and were deadlocked at 10-10 before Bloomfield clawed out a 17-6 run to go up eleven (27-16). The Purple Knights found their stride and came back to knot the score at 40-40 on a three-pointer heading into the half.
· The second half began with more of a see-saw battle as the CACC squads exchanged buckets across the first five minutes. The fast-pace play had the Bears up 57-56 after an
Izaiah Poole layup in the paint with 14:56 on the clock.
· UB battled ahead on a, 12-4 run to go up seven (68-61) but Hearns scored 7 of Bloomfield's next 10 points and the home team regained the lead, 71-70 with 7:28 left to play.
· The Bears never trailed again and rattled off the next 8 points to seize control of the league contest and sank free throws down the stretch to secure the CACC victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
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Abdallah Elsaleh registered a strong night with 9 points (5-6 FG, 1-2 FT) as he also dished out 7 dimes, snagged 6 boards blocked 3 shots and swiped one steal
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Kareeme Davis had a career day on the glass, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with 6 points (3-4 FG), 2 assists and a steal
· Bloomfield dominated on the boards, 59-37 which led to a 52-32 advantage in points in the paint. The home team's bench outscored the Purple Knights, 29-9 fueled by Ellis and Poole while UB held the edge in 2
nd chance points, 22-15
WHAT'S NEXT
· The Bears then hit the road for a CACC battle with Georgian Court University on Saturday, Jan 20 (2:00 p.m.).
· Bloomfield returns to The Den the following Saturday Jan 27 when they host Wilmington University at 3:00 p.m. The CACC showdown with the Wildcats will be the Bears' Coaches vs Cancer game.
If you missed the excitement of today's match-up or you'd like to see it again, you can click this link to watch it ON DEMAND.
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