PIKE CREEK, Del. – The Goldey-Beacom College men's basketball team will look to bounce back from a bitter, 97-93 overtime defeat in its season opener against Franklin Pierce on Sat. afternoon as the Lightning host Shippensburg University at 8 p.m., Mon. night at the Joseph West Jones Center.
Play-by-play personality Chris DiGiacomo will have the call as the game is webcasted via PennAtlantic. Fans can view the webcast for free by visiting the link on the athletics home page calendar.
Monday night's matchup features a rematch of last year's thrilling, 89-80 overtime game won by the Lightning on Nov. 30, 2009. Senior point guard Azeez Ellegood stepped up big for GBC in last year's road win, scoring 11 of his 22 points in the overtime session to help sink Shippensburg.
Free-throw shooting, which hurt the Lightning in Saturday's season-opening loss, was also a key in last year's victory as GBC made 22-of-24 from the line in last year's meeting.
The Lightning's season opener this past Sat. showcased for the first time in two years, a Goldey-Beacom team without one of the school's all-time most prolific scorers, Kyle White. Senior guard Sam McDuffie, who entered this season already fifth on the school's all-time scoring list with 948 points, emerged as the team's go-to scoring threat, particularly in the waning moments of the game. McDuffie scored the team's final 11 points in regulation on five layups and one conventional three-point play to help force overtime. He ended with a career-high 34 points on 12-for-17 shooting from the field, and he is now just 18 points shy of the 1,000-point milestone for his career.
Senior forward Terrence Parkes also showed why he was voted 2nd Team All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference last season as he notched his 11th career double-double with a career-high 29 points and 14 rebounds.
Both McDuffie and Parkes played key roles in last year's victory over Shippensburg. McDuffie scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Parkes recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Lightning fans also got a little taste of what graduate student forward Rich Flemming can do for GBC's frontcourt. The first-year transfer from UMBC scored seven points and grabbed eight rebounds in his Lightning debut on Saturday. Head coach Chuck Hammond will rely on the starting forward to produce offense and help defensively in game two.
Monday night's game will be the season-opener for the Red Raiders who finished 12-15 in 2009-10 including a mark of 5-9 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Shippensburg was picked to finish 7th in the eight-team East Division in this year's pre-season coaches poll.
The team features 10 returners from last year and four newcomers. Among its returning players is junior forward Will Royal, who led the team last year in scoring and rebounding averages. Royal did not play in last year's game against Goldey-Beacom.
The Lightning (0-1) will look to avoid their first 0-2 start since the 2006-07 season on Mon. night. Last season, they lost their season-opener to West Chester and then went on to earn the most wins in a season in school history (19).
