Boxscore
NYACK, N.Y. – The Lightning defense forced 18 turnovers and held the Warriors to 22-percent shooting as the visiting Goldey-Beacom College women's basketball team avenged last year's conference semifinal loss with a 66-36 thumping of Nyack College on Sat. afternoon.
Fittingly, the Lightning clinched a second-straight berth in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference playoffs with this win and improved to 12-10 (10-5 CACC). They remain two games ahead of Philadelphia University for third place in the South. Nyack fell to 9-14 (5-10 CACC).
GBC led 31-21 at halftime and then dominated the second half, outscoring the hosts 35-15 after the intermission. The Lightning defense held the Warriors to 5-of-28 shooting (18-percent) from the field, including 0-for-4 from long-range in the closing frame.
Meanwhile, GBC's hot shooting in the first half (8-of-15, 53-percent) continued in the second half (11-of-21, 52-percent), even from long-range (3-of-6 3FG in the second half, 5-of-10 for the game). The Lightning out-shot Nyack 53-percent to 22-percent for the game.
Nyack's 36 points was the least amount of points scored by a Lightning opponent since Feb. 21, 2004. It was also Nyack who GBC defeated that day by a score of 70-34 at what was then called MBNA America Hall (now, Joseph West Jones Center).
The Lightning also feasted at the free-throw line, converting 23-of-29 at the stripe compared to 8-of-12 by Nyack. Sophomore forward Devonne Richardson was 10-of-12 from the line, as she made the most free-throws in a game by a Lightning player since Toni Jones ('08) hit 12-of-13 against Dominican on Feb. 23, 2008. She finished with 17 points and nine rebounds.
Reserve sophomore forward Irene Hudson came off the bench to also score 17 as she made 7-of-9 from the field and 3-of-5 at the foul line. Senior guard Janae Weldon provided some outside shooting as she knocked down a pair of three-pointers and finished with eight points and three assists. Also, redshirt-junior guard Jacinda Jones pitched in with five points, two assists and four steals.
Head coach Jen Carleton used 12 of the 13 players on her roster and 11 entered the scoring column as the Lightning finished with 34 bench points to Nyack's 12.
Next up for GBC is a road game against winless CACC South foe Georgian Court on Thurs., Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. GCU will be holding its PinkZone event that night to generate awareness about breast cancer.
