PIKE CREEK, Del. – The top-seeded Goldey-Beacom College Lightning men's basketball team will host the No. 4 seeded University of the Sciences Devils in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference quarterfinal action at the Joseph West Jones Center on Tues. night at 7 p.m.
The Lightning (17-10, 12-5 CACC) are looking to return to the conference semifinals for the third straight season under head coach Chuck Hammond. Last year GBC advanced to the finals as a No. 2 seed before falling to North Division No. 2 Felician.
This is the first time that GBC captured a CACC South Division regular season crown and earned a No. 1 seed in the CACC Tournament. The Lightning were a No. 2 seed in 2008-09 when they defeated No. 3 Holy Family for the school's first CACC Tournament victory. Then last year they came away with a victory over crosstown rival and No. 3 seed Wilmington University. Under Hammond, the Lightning are 3-4 in the CACC playoffs, which includes a 2-0 mark at home in the Jones Center.
GBC and USciences, two South Division foes, split games during the season with the Lightning claiming a 78-65 victory in the first meeting at the Jones Center on Jan. 6 and USciences getting the better of GBC with a 58-54 victory at the Morgan Arena on Feb. 3. This is the first time these two have met in the CACC playoffs in the Division II era.
USciences comes in with a record of 12-12 and a 7-10 mark in conference play. The Devils lost three of their last five regular season games including their season finale at Post, 50-47. They have struggled when playing on the road, going 2-8 in away games this season.
Meanwhile, GBC has won three of its last four games heading into the playoffs. After starting the season 1-5, GBC won 16 of its final 21 games, including a school-record 11 straight wins at home. With its win last Wed. night over PhilaU to clinch the regular season division championship, the Lightning set a new school record for home wins in a season with 12.
Tues. night's showdown at the Jones Center features a marquee matchup between GBC's Terrence Parkes and USciences' Adewale Adefemi. Parkes finished the regular season ranked third in the league in scoring (17.9 ppg) and tied for second in rebounding (10.1 avg./g). Adefemi is eighth in scoring (16.3 ppg) and tied with Parkes for second in rebounding. Adefemi is second in offensive rebounds while Parkes is first in defensive rebounds.
Parkes was the high-scorer for the Lightning in two double-double efforts against USciences during the year. The first meeting he scored 22 and pulled down 13 rebounds in a Lightning win, then he posted 14 points and 14 rebounds in the second meeting when they lost.
Adefemi also went for 22 points in a losing effort the first meeting, then scored a game-high 20 and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Devils to victory in the second meeting. He grabbed seven of the Devils 17 offensive rebounds that night and was a big reason why USciences doubled up the Lightning 20-10 in second-chance points and outscored them 32-22 in the paint.
This matchup also pits GBC's third-best scoring offense in the league (74.3 ppg) against USciences' No. 1 scoring defense (66.2 points allowed avg./g). USciences is next to last in scoring offense (66.2 ppg) while GBC is sixth in scoring defense (70.1 points allowed avg./g). The Devils are the worst three-point shooting team in the conference (.269 shooting percentage) while the Lightning are the second-best team in that category (.367).
Tip-off is at 7 p.m., and there will be free admission for GBC students, staff and faculty (with proof of ID). Other fans can purchase tickets at the door: $6 for adults, $3 for children and senior citizens. For those who cannot attend, there will be a live webcast provided by PennAtlantic with play-by-play announcer Chris DiGiacomo bringing you all the action from the Jones Center.
