BLOOMFIELD, NJ – The Bloomfield College men's basketball team dropped a thriller at home Saturday afternoon against Goldey-Beacom College (GBC), 88-83. The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) setback left the Bears overall record at 8-6 overall and 1-3 in league action while the Lightning moved to a perfect, 4-0 in conference games and 9-5 on the season.
Prior to the game, the athletic department welcomed the CACC Commissioner, Dan Mara who helped induct the 2011 Men's Basketball Team into the CACC 2023 Hal of Fame Class. The 2011 squad was the first and only league team in history to take the NCAA Division II East Regional Championship and advance to the coveted Tournament's Elite 8. Members from the team who were on hand included, Andre Green '14, Steve Henderson '14 , Ahmad Harris '16, Art Ellis, Mike Williams '14, Conroy Hosier '12, Jon Bradley '15 and
Gage Daye '12 as well as coaches from the championship staff, Wilson Pilarte '12, Baron Hickson, Ryan James and 'the Architect'
Gerald Holmes.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
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Al Fatir Connor recorded a new career-highs of 25 points (10-17 FG, 2-5 3PT, 3-6 FT) and 7 assists to go alongside 6 boards, 3 steals and a block.
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Starrell Hearns came off the bench to add 15 points (6-12 FG, 2-7 3PT, 1-2 FT) in 26 minutes of action and grabbed 5 boards, 2 steals and an assist.
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Deavion Ellis posted a near double-double with 12 points (5-15 FG, 2-6 3PT), 9 rebounds, 8 assists, and a steal.
KEY MOMENTS
· The home team took an early, 7-3 lead to start the contest but he Lightning were quick to strike back and claimed a 23-12 advantage at the 11:21 minute mark.
· After a 17-7 GBC run Bloomfield trailed by as-many-as 15 in the opening period but scratched their way back to within five, 44-39 before the halftime break.
· In the 2
nd frame the Bears found themselves down, 77-66 but made a surge on an, 8-0 spurt in less than a minute capped by a Connor 3-pointer.
· The teams traded buckets back and forth and the home crowd erupted after a Hearns dunk with fifty-eight second to go in the game. GBC was up to the task and held off the Bears attack by converting freethrows to preserve their perfect CACC record.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
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Edward Ngene had a modest 7 points and 8 rebounds but swatted 6 shots as he remains one of the top shot blockers in NCAA Div II
· The Lightning controlled the tempo of the game with seven players in the double-digit scoring column. GBC went 15-of-17 from the free throw line (88.0 percent)
· Bloomfield forced 13 Lightning turnovers and converted them to 20 points in an effort to get back even in the game
· The Bears had a 31-26 edge in bench points that was fueled by Hearns' 15 and
Izaiah Poole and
Marcus Bucknall who each chipped in 7 points
WHAT'S NEXT
· Bloomfield hits the road for their next two contests, first a non-conference test against Mercy College on Tuesday, Jan 9 (7:00 p.m.) in Dobbs Ferry. Then they head to Philadelphia for a showdown on Jan 13 (3:00 p.m.) for a CACC match-up with Holy Family.
· The Bears return home on Wednesday, Jan 17 (7:30 p.m.) when the University of Bridgeport comes to The Den for more league play.
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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