DIX HILLS, NY – The Bears men's basketball team battled for the North American Conference for Intercollegiate Athletics (NACIA) Tournament Championship on Sunday and came away with a, 99-94 victory over Bryant and Stratton College of Syracuse. The win marked the first ever champion crowned since the USCAA Division I conference formed in April of 2025 and Bloomfield snapped the Bobcats 14-game winning streak. 
 
The league's #1 seed was led by Tournament MVP, Cameron McRae who went for 28 points on 8-for-17 shooting from the field which included, 4-of-9 from deep and 8-of-9 from the charity stripe. The Championship final was played on the campus of Five Towns College and improved the Bears overall record to 20-6 as they earn the NACIA's automatic bid to the upcoming USCAA Tournament. 
 
SCORE: BSC Syracuse 94, Bloomfield 99
LOCATION: Dix Hills, N.Y. | Sound Arena – Five Towns College
ALL-TIME MEETINGS: BSC Syracuse 1-2, Bloomfield 2-1

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Four out-of-five Bloomfield starters ended in double-figures led by McRae's game-high. 
• Senior, Zamorian Singleton registered his 11^th double-double of the year with a solid 20 points and 10 rebounds. 
• The evenly matched teams battled back and forth to start the Championship with the Bears climbing ahead, 17-8 with 14:19 on the clock. Knotted at 49 all, the Bobcats netted the last four points of the half to head into the break up, 53-49. 
• The NACIA #2 seeded team enjoyed shooting at a 52.6 percent clip in the first half while Bloomfield shot 39.0 percent.
• The 2^nd half was more of the teams battling in the trenches with the Bobcats pushing ahead, 69-62 but the top seed climbed all the way back to tie the score at 79-79 on a McRae three-pointer with 7:40 to go on the clock.
• Singleton gave Bloomfield their first lead of the 2^nd half on a floater in the lane but it was short lived as the Bobcats responded with six-straight points.
• Freshman, guard Jahi Whitney tied the ballgame at 94-94 on a layup in the lane followed by a back-down bucket from Marcus Bucknall that give the Bears the lead with under a minute to play. 
• McRae sunk two freethrows to seal the comeback and Bloomfield's first NACIA Championship. 
• Bucknall finished the afternoon with 13 points, going a perfect 6-of-6 from the freethrow line. 
• Devin Artis added 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field in 25 minutes of work. 
• The conference championship marks head coach Gerald Holmes 9^th league title across his 24 year tenure.

UP NEXT:
 
The Bears entered the NACIA Championship game ranked #1 in the USCAA and now await 'Bid Day' on February 24^thwhen they will learn who they face in the USCAA National Championship Tournament to be played in Buffalo, NY in March. Watch Bid Day Live by Clicking Here
 
On 'Bid Day' February 24^th the Bears will learn who they face in the USCAA National Championship Tournament to be played in Buffalo, NY in March. Watch Bid Day Live by Clicking Here
 
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CHAMPIONSHIP GAME VIDEO
 
About the NACIA

In April 2025, The United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA), North American Conference for Intercollegiate Athletics (NACIA) and university officials announced the formation of the first formal USCAA Division 1 conference in the history of the long standing Association.

Original members of the NACIA included: the Bryant & Stratton campuses of Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, and Rochester, Berkeley College, Five Towns College and Villa Maria College.  Newest member Bloomfield College of Montclair State University joined the group in July, 2025.

The NACIA looks to build a conference that provides positive athletic experiences and serves member institutions and their student-athletes while advancing the overarching goals of the USCAA.  As noted by  Five Towns College President Dr. David M. Cohen: "We look forward to expanding the number of sports, teams, and intercollegiate opportunities available to our student athletes. We also invite other institutions of higher education seeking a new home for their athletic programs to explore membership in the NACIA."

About the USCAA
The USCAA is a national governing body that exists to provide opportunities for small colleges to compete against institutions for National Championships and student-athlete recognition. The 70-member association was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.