Opening Tip-Off
After rallying to earn their first win of the 2012-13 season on Tuesday night, the Lightning begin a season-long five-game road trip this weekend by participating in the Nova Southeastern University Thanksgiving Classic. The Lightning will open the tournament on Friday evening by facing the host Sharks in a 5:30 p.m. match-up and will either play against Charleston or Puerto Rico-Mayaquez in a game on Saturday. Live stats and video for both of the Lightning's games will be available via Nova Southeastern's official athletics website, www.nsusharks.com.
Updating the Lightning
Now 1-3 overall and 1-0 in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, the Lightning snapped their season-opening three-game losing streak on Tuesday night by rallying to defeat the University of the Sciences by a 56-55 margin at the Joseph West Jones College Center. The Lightning, who trailed by as many as four points in the second half, earned the victory on a three-point field goal from junior guard
Keith Thomas with 2:43 remaining in regulation. Sophomore guard
Marcus Porter led the Lightning with 12 points and 7 rebounds in the victory while senior forward
Lawrence Livingston had a season-high 10 points while also recording a career-high six blocked shots. Porter is the Lightning's leading scorer with a 15.0 average.
Scouting Nova Southeastern
Currently 1-0 on the season, the Sharks opened their 2012-13 season with a 90-78 victory over St. Thomas at NSU Arena on Nov. 15. Junior
Jacob Reed led Nova Southeastern to the victory by scoring a game-high 20 points, making 7 of 11 shots from the floor. Meanwhile, senior
Iran Hollis and sophomore
Justin Jeangerard each added 13 points with seven rebounds in the victory. The Sharks posted a 13-14 record last year.
Scouting Charleston
The Golden Eagles will open their season this weekend by competing in the Nova Southeastern Thanksgiving Classic after having their original season opener against Davis and Elkins postponed on Tuesday night. University of Charleston is coming off a 26-7 season last year that saw the Golden Eagles advance to the NCAA Tournament before losing to Wheeling Jesuit. Senior guard
Evan Faulkner is the Golden Eagles' leading returning scorer after posting an 11.5 point per game average last season. Coach
Mark Downey is in his third season as the Golden Eagles' leader.
Scouting Puerto Rico-Mayaguez
The Tarzans will face Charleston in the second game on Friday night. They have never played against the Lightning in any sport prior to this weekend's potential match-up.
Making Them Count
Junior guard
A.J. Picard has been one of the Lightning's leaders at the free throw line during his three-year career at Goldey-Beacom. Despite missing a free throw in the Lightning's 56-55 win over University of the Sciences on Tuesday night, he is 12-for-13 from the charity stripe this season. In addition, he also made all eight of his free throw attempts at Towson on Nov. 12 in an exhibition game. Over his last 10 games (excluding the Towson exhibition), the Skippack, Pa. native has made 36 of his last 39 free throw attempts (.923).
Picard and Porter to Serve as 2012-13 Captains
Junior guard
A.J. Picard and sophomore guard
Marcus Porter will serve as the Lightning's captains during the 2012-13 season, it has been announced by Coach
Chuck Hammond. Picard was an honorable mention All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference pick last year after averaging 13.7 points per game while leading the team with an .801 free throw percentage. Meanwhile, Porter earned second team All-CACC notice as a freshman after leading the Lightning with a 16.7 scoring average last year. He also averaged 6.1 rebounds per game and ranked second on the team with 50 assists.
What's Ahead for Goldey-Beacom
After playing in the Nova Southeastern Thanksgiving Classic this weekend, the Lightning will continue their season-long road trip on Wednesday night when they travel to Mercy College for a 7:30 p.m. non-conference affair against the Mavericks. Following Wednesday's game, the Lightning will return to their Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference schedule to visit Concordia College on Friday evening.
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