PIKE CREEK, DE
Boxscore
Tariq Uqdah came off the bench to provide 18 points (7-11 FG) and 11 rebounds in leading Goldey-Beacom College past Concordia College, 82-76, in the final regular-season home game, good enough to clinch a second consecutive South Division title in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. Sophomore playmaker
A.J. Picard contributed 18 points (10-10 FT), also in a reserve role, while postgraduate forward
Rich Flemming notched 16 points and 13 rebounds in the Lightning's forth consecutive triumph. Goldey-Beacom never trailed on the afternoon, opening up leads of 14-4 and 25-8 before settling for a 42-33 halftime advantage. An 11-0 streak to start the second half expanded the lead to a comfortable 53-33 before the Clippers (11-14, 8-9 CACC) began chipping away, ultimately climbing within a deuce on two occasions down the stretch. A traditional 3-point play by Argelix Gil (20 points, eight rebounds) with1:33 to go made it 76-74, then two more Gil foul shots 17 seconds later made it a 78-76 ballgame. That's as close as Concordia would get, though, as
Jordan Brooks (eight points, six assists) nailed a pair of free throws with 35 seconds remaining and Picard closed out the game's scoring 11 seconds later with two tosses of his own. Brandon Whitaker topped the Clippers' score sheet with 23 points, six rebounds and seven assists, but his team was outshot (46%-37%) and outrebounded (47-41). The Lightning - now 16-9 overall and
13-3 in conference play - made nearly twice as many trips to the foul line (27-37 compared to 14-19 for the visitors), helping offset a 2-1 turnover disparity (18-9). These two teams could actually wind up meeting again on Saturday afternoon as the CACC Tournament gets underway. If Concordia defeats Bloomfield College at home on Tuesday, the rematch will take place at the Joseph West Jones Center. A loss means Caldwell College would grab the final playoff berth in the North and travel to Delaware for the quarterfinal game. Between now and then, there is one last bit of business, namely the conference finale at third-place Chestnut Hill College on Tuesday. The scheduled tip-off is at 8:00 pm.
