Boxscore

CALDWELL, NJ - For the third consecutive year, Goldey-Beacom College will play for the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament championship and the automatic NCAA bid that comes along with it after outlasting Dominican College in overtime, 72-66, in a semifinal thriller at the Newman Center on Friday afternoon. Postgraduate forward Rich Flemming racked up game highs of 26 points and 12 rebounds, and the Lightning closed out a compact contest with an 8-1 spurt to force a championship showdown against Bloomfield College, which rallied to stun Philadelphia University two hours earlier. In a game distinguished by 11 ties, 12 lead changes and nothing larger than a two-possession separation over the final 16:23, it was free-throw shooting that made the difference down the stretch for the winners, who went 8-for-8 in the final 64 seconds after struggling at a 17-for-29 clip up until that point. A 13-0 surge late in the first half put Goldey-Beacom (18-10) on top, 25-17; the eight-point spread representing the largest of the ballgame. Grad student guard Ido Yehuda, who contributed 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists off the bench - concluded the spree with three free throws after having been fouled on a trey attempt. The Chargers - who finished a solid season at 19-9 - used an 18-4 flourish over the final 6:18 of the half, capped by a traditional 3-point play from CACC Co-Player of the Year Cory Quimby, to claim a 32-29 lead. They stretched the advantage to 45-38 on another Quimby basket with 13:37 to play before the Lightning rattled off 11 of the next 14 points to reclaim the lead, 49-46, following a lay-up by conference All-Rookie guard Marcus Porter (eight points, four assists). The two teams locked horns the rest of the way as neither side managed more than a three-point margin over the last 10:22 of regulation. Down the stretch, sophomore guard A.J. Picard (14 points) knotted the score at 58-58 on a right-elbow jumper with 1:15 on the clock. Neither team scored the remainder of the period, though Dominican had a couple of chances on the last possession. Leon Porter (no relation) missed a well-defended three from the left perimeter, and Quimby's over-the-shoulder follow was off the mark, securing the extra session. In the OT, there were three ties and three lead changes, all of which occurred on successive plays in crunch time. A Flemming lay-up at the 2:34 mark broke a 62-62 deadlock, but Leon Porter drained a deep three at 1:31 to give Dominican a 65-64 edge. Then, the Lightning struck from the stripe. Senior forward Tariq Uqdah (six points, five rebounds) knocked down the go-ahead tosses with 1:04 to go, before postgraduate guard Jordan Brooks (six points, three steals) followed with two of his own after having missed his previous four attempts. Porter split a pair of his own to bring the Chargers within 68-66 with 16 seconds remaining before Flemming - also 0-for-4 at the line to that point - came through with two makes, and it was finally a two-possession game. After Porter missed a desperation triple try, Yehuda put the finishing touches on the victory with two final freebies. Quimby topped the Dominican scorecard with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Porter chipped in with 20 points despite 6-of-19 shooting. Goldey-Beacom - which will play Bloomfield for a fourth consecutive postseason - shot better from the floor (45%-37%), did more business at the foul line (25-37 to 16-22) and won the battle of the boards, 41-32. Neither side made an impact from beyond the arc (GBC 1-8, DC 4-18). The Lightning will hope the third time is the charm in Sunday's championship game, which is a rematch of last year's final. Bloomfield stormed back from a 17-point, second-half deficit to upend the Philadelphia Rams, 72-63 in the day's first semifinal. Sunday's big tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 pm and the game will be carried live on the conference Web site: www.caccathletics.org.