Bloomfield College Basketball -The Weekly Roundup

Big second half lifts Deacons over Felician 70-62

Bloomfield outscored CACC North Division rival 40-22 over the final 20 minutes of play to earn their ninth conference victory of the season last Tuesday night, as the Deacons moved to 15-6 overall and 9-2 in league action with a 70-62 road victory over the Falcons.

The home team would set the pace at the outset, with Felician controlling the action for the majority of the game's opening stanza.  The Falcons would methodically build their advantage throughout the period, shooting over 57% from the field and 55% from beyond the arc to mount a 40-30 lead heading into the intermission.  

But it would prove to be a tale of two halves in this matchup of nearby rivals, as the Bloomfield defense put forth one of its best performances of the season over the final 20 minutes of play to stage an emphatic comeback and shatter the hopes of a marquee Felician victory.  Trailing 56-55 with 7:27 to play, the Deacons would engineer a 15-6 run over the remainder of the contest to seal the win, while limiting the Falcons to just 7-33 shooting in the second stanza.  Felician proved unable to counter, giving Bloomfield its 15th victory of the season and moving the team to 10 games over .500 for the first time this season. 

Senior forward Matt Wafula (Harlemy, N.Y.) led all scorers with 19 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks, while sophomore Kevin Udo (West Orange, N.J.) posted a double-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.  Terry Hicks (Neptune, N.J.) finished 3-6 from beyond the arc en route to 17 points, while senior point guard Ahmad Harris (Linden, N.J.) finished just shy of a triple-double with eight points, nine rebounds and 10 assists.

Lady Deacons stumble at Felician

The Lady Deacons' attack struggled to find its rhythm against their divisional rivals, with the club shooting just 32% from the field over the 40 minutes of action.  Felician was able to take advantage of the uncharacteristic performance, jumping out to a 13-5 advantage to begin the contest.  The Falcons would move the lead to nine at 27-18 with just over three minutes to play, eventually taking a 31-20 lead into the intermission.

Bloomfield could not counter with a second-half comeback, as Felician widened the margin and put the game just beyond the Lady Deacons' reach.  The visitors were able to close the contest with a 30-18 run over the final 10 minutes of play, but it would prove to fall just short, as the Falcons would hold on to preserve the eight-point victory and drop Bloomfield to one game over .500 in conference action. 

Senior guard Vanessa Lamison (Laurel, Md.) led the offensive attack with 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and a game-high seven steals in the loss, while Emily Hall (Montclair, N.J.) continued her streak of standout play in the backcourt with 13 points and a game-high seven assists.  Sophomore Ivettlis Castro (Carteret, N.J.) connected on three of her eight three-point attempts to notch 11 points in reserve.

Wafula's 34 leads Deacons past Holy Family

Bloomfield senior forward Matt Wafula (Harlem, N.Y.) netted a career-high 34 points to go with eight rebounds in a standout performance Saturday afternoon, as the men's basketball team improved to 16-6 overall and 10-2 in conference play with a 81-69 home victory over CACC South Division rival Holy Family University.

The visiting Tigers were able to match the North Division's top squad stride for stride in the first 20 minutes of play, maintaining a slim 16-14 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the half.  The Deacons would grab control with a 9-0 run, but Holy Family would weather the early storm and remain within striking distance.  The Tigers would claw back into the game and even the score at 32 with three minutes to go in the first, securing a 38-38 tie at the close of a period that featured six ties and six lead changes.

The Bloomfield attack would see to it that the visitors would not keep pace in the second half, however, as the Deacons shot an even 50% from the field and a scorching 56% from beyond the arc to jump out to a sizeable advantage midway through the stanza.  The lead would reach as many as 12 in the early stages of the half, and remain in double digits for much of the game's finaly 20 minutess.  Holy Family would prove unable to mount a late-game surge, moving the Deacons to an impressive 10-1 at home on the 2011-2012 season and moving their homecourt winning streak to 10 consecutive games.

Wafula finished the afternoon 12-23 from the field and 10-11 from the free-throw line to cap his career day, while sophomore guard Steve Henderson (West Orange, N.J.) netted 17 points on 5-11 shooting from long-range.  Fellow sophomore Kevin Udo (West Orange, N.J.) contributed nine points, 11 rebounds and a pair of blocks on the day, while rookie guard Marvin Williams (Jersey City, N.J.) notched eight points, seven rebounds and a team-high five assists in the victory.

Bloomfield returns to action Wednesday, February 1, when they travel to take on CACC North Division rival Nyack College.  Tip-off for the contest is scheduled for 8:00 PM.

Lady Deacons fall against Holy Family

Bloomfield's women's basketball team fell to 8-11 overall and 6-6 in conference play Saturday afternoon, as they dropped a 61-47 home decision to CACC South Division rival Holy Family University. 

Facing the South Divison's top squad, the Lady Deacons were able to keep pace with the Tigers for much of the opening half.  But with the score tied at 11, Holy family engineered a 7-0 run to take an 18-11 lead with 3:55 remaining in the frame.  The lead would remain intact heading into the intermission, with the Tigers holding a 25-16 advantage at the break. 

Bloomfield would execute a spurt of their own in the early stages of the second half, clawing their way back into the action and cutting the deficit to just four points at 38-34 with 11:38 to play.  But Holy would withstand the surge, running the lead back to double-digits and preserving the advantage over the final 11 minutes of action.  The setback drops the Lady Deacons to the .500 mark in CACC play on the season, and is just the second loss at home for the club in the 2011-2012 season. 

Sophomore guard Ivettlis Castro (Carteret, N.J.) led the Bloomfield attack with 14 points in reserve, while Vanessa Lamison (Laurel, Md.) notched 11 points and four steals.  Dre'Shonda Williams (Piscataway, N.J.) rounded out the double-figure scorers, going for 10 points off the bench in the loss. 

Bloomfield returns to action Wednesday, February 1 when they travel to take on CACC North Division rival Nyack College.  Tip-off for the contest is set for 6:00 PM.