PIKE CREEK, Del. – When Goldey-Beacom and Holy Family last met at the Jones Center, the Tigers made history with their 93rd consecutive regular season conference win. The Lightning would like to be a part of history again as they hope to be the team that ends the streak at 105 when the two Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference powers collide Thurs. night at 6 p.m.
For fans who cannot make the game, there will be a free live webcast via PennAtlantic that is available by using the link on the calendar on the right of the website. Announcer Chris DiGiacomo will have the call.
Fourth-year head coach Jen Carleton's squad has battled back from four straight losses to start the season by winning four straight games and going unbeaten in conference play (3-0). Their opponent, however, has not lost a regular season conference game since Feb. 25, 2005.
Holy Family comes in with a record of 5-2 (2-0 CACC) and just recently handed Georgian Court an 83-32 whacking on the road Sat. led by Samantha Thompson (18 points) and Catherine Carr (16 points).
Thompson, a 5-foot-11 graduate student forward, leads the team in scoring with a 14.9 average points per-game. Six-foot senior center Catherine Carr, a First-Team All-CACC selection last year, comes in averaging 14.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per-game. Sophomore center Erin Mann, at 6-foot-1, is the team's leading rebounder (8.3 rpg) and also averages 14.1 points per-game. Eleven players on second-year head coach Mark Miller's 13-player roster are 5-foot-10 or taller.
The Tigers dominated both meetings against the Lightning last season, winning the first 79-52 and the second, 64-32. But a year older and a year wiser, last year's young and inexperienced GBC squad is now a veteran group with several different leaders who can step up when called upon at any time.
Among those leaders are guards Jacinda Jones and Janae Weldon. Jones, a redshirt-junior, leads the team in scoring average at 15.8 points per-game, and has been a huge asset shooting from long-range in the opening minutes of the last three games. Weldon, as she has done her whole four-year career in a Lightning uniform, makes timely shots again and again for GBC as she averages 10.8 points and leads the team with 29 assists.
Also, sophomore forward Irene Hudson has proven to be lethal off the bench for the Lightning this season. She comes into Thurs. night's game averaging 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds, and has shown she can take a game over in the post at anytime.
Another sophomore forward, Devonne Richardson, has been invaluable to the Lightning's efforts as well. She ranks 28th in all of NCAA Division II with a 10.4 rebounds per-game average.
Defensively, senior forward Arielle Alford and sophomore guard Ashley Rosario have done a super job shutting down the opposition. Alford ranks 23rd in DII with 2.3 blocks per-game and Rosario has contributed five steals.
With the deepest team she's had in her four years at GBC, Carleton will try to earn the Lightning their first win in the 17-game series against HFU. She guided the Lightning to their first win over Philadelphia last year and has since beaten the Rams two more times.
