PIKE CREEK, Del. – With three straight double-figure victories, the Goldey-Beacom College men's basketball team will try to improve to 4-0 amidst a five-game home stand at the Jones Center when the Lightning take on Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference foe Holy Family tonight at 8 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.
The Lightning began the season 1-5 but have since beaten three straight opponents by an average margin of 19.7 points. Their most recent conquest was an 80-70 victory over Millersville on Mon. night, during which they led by as many as 20.
Leading the Lightning in that win was senior forward Terrence Parkes who matched his career-high with 29 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Parkes leads the team in scoring average (18.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.9).
Senior guards Jon Crawford and Azeez Ellegood have also come on strong of late for head coach Chuck Hammond's Lightning. Crawford has posted three straight double-figure scoring games, including a career-high 20 against Chestnut Hill, during which he erupted for 18 second-half points on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting day from the field. Ellegood, meanwhile has averaged 14 points and five assists per-game in his last three outings.
Head coach Chuck Hammond made a change to the Lightning's starting five beginning with the Wilmington game on Dec. 7. He inserted sophomore forward Lawrence Livingston into the starting lineup, and it has paid huge dividends for Goldey-Beacom.
Livingston has been a huge spark plug defensively for the Lightning since getting his first career start against the team's crosstown rival. Before the Wilmington game, GBC was allowing its opponents 78.3 points per-game en-route to a 1-5 start. But ever since, the Lightning have held opponents to a 64.7 point scoring average and are 3-0.
Crawford has been a big part of the improvement on defense as well, holding Wilmington's leading scorer Isiah Mason scoreless and Chestnut Hill's leading scorer Brandon Williams to just five points.
The Lightning's improvement on defense has not come at any cost on the other end, as GBC's high-powered offense has averaged 84.3 points per-contest these last three games. For the first time in school history, the Lightning have scored 80 or more points in three straight games.
Meanwhile, Holy Family comes in with a defense that allows 77.1 points per-game as the Tigers have struggled to a 2-6 record and 0-1 mark in the CACC. Their only conference game thus far resulted in a 81-70 loss at home to Wilmington, a team the Lightning beat by 29 last week.
First-year head coach John O'Connor's squad features three double-figure scorers in Tim Smith (18.4 ppg), Alberto Munoz (15.9 ppg) and Rashaad Sneed (10.3 ppg).
Holy Family leads the all-time series 13-7, but the Lightning are 5-5 all-time against the Tigers at home in the Jones Center. GBC has won the last three meetings dating back to the 2008-09 quarterfinal matchup where the host Lightning won 70-56 after losing to HFU twice during the regular season. All seven Lightning wins in this series have come under Coach Hammond.
