BUFFALO, NY – The Bears men's basketball team saw their hopes for a National Championship come to an end Thursday evening as they suffered a, 98-88 loss to North American University (NAU) at the Burt Flickinger Athletic Center. The upset ended the USCAA National Tournament's top seed's season with a 21-7 record as the #4 seeded Stallions improved to 21-8.
THE BASICS:
SCORE: North American 98, Bloomfield 88
LOCATION: Buffalo, N.Y. | Burt Flickinger Athletic Center
ALL-TIME MEETINGS: North American 1-0, Bloomfield 0-1
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Both teams' offenses struggled to find their footing early on as the first points didn't come until nearly three minutes into play when NAU netted a bucket in the paint.
- The #4 seed never trailed in the contest and built as much as a nine-point advantage (34-25) before settling for a slim, 43-41 lead at halftime.
- Cameron McRae led the Bears into intermission with 10 points as the nation's top seed shot 55.2 percent (16-for-29) in the first half.
- The Stallions continued to put distance between them and the Bears, opening up scoring in the 2ndframe with back-to-back three-pointers from Jamarric Hammond.
- Bloomfield struggled to find an answer and could only draw as close as four (53-49) after a fastbreak layup from the USCAA National Player of the Year, Zamorian Singleton.
- Another Hammond three-ball capped a 9-0 response from NAU that put pressure on the Bears with 12:18 on the clock and down, 62-49.
- A Na'shawn Jones bucket in the paint pulled the top seed to within, 91-85 with 1:07 remaining but the Stallions closed the door on any comeback attempt, scoring the next seven points down the stretch.
- Hammond finished the semifinal match with a game-high 27 points for NAU.
- McRae finished the evening with 17 points, converting 3-for-7 from long range.
- Devin Artis went 7-for-10 from the field for 16 points while Singleton finished up his career in a Bears uniform with 14 points after shooting 7-of-13 from the floor.
- Brandon Hendryx had a solid day on the court, coming off the bench to provide 14 points down low on 4-of-7 shooting
- Jones finished his evening with 11 points and Jahi Whitney rounded out six Bloomfield scorers in double figures with his 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting in 25 minutes of action.
- Singleton wraps up his senior campaign with 536 points, averaging 19.9 points per game. To go along with his Player of the Year Award, he was also named the National Student Athlete Award for his commitment to success in the classroom and in the community. For his career he finished with 970 points and 492 rebounds. He dishes out 213 assists and shot 48.4 percent from the field.
- Marcus Bucknall also saw his Bloomfield career come to a close as the senior finished with 748 points and 509 rebounds for the program.
Season Look Back
Bloomfield wrapped up their first season in the USCAA leading the pack with 96.9 points per game on offense. They were second in offensive rebounding and fourth in defensive rebounding. The Bears captured a conference championship for the first time since 2020.
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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.
