WILMINGTON, Del. - After winning its final three games of the regular season, the Goldey-Beacom College women's basketball team will try to carry that momentum into the postseason as the Lightning travel to Bloomfield College on Saturday afternoon for a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference quarterfinal game.
Opening tip-off between the Lightning and the Deacons is slated for 4:30 p.m. at Bloomfield Gym. Tickets will be sold at the game and cost six dollars for adults and three dollars for students with a valid ID, senior citizens and children.
Making their fifth consecutive appearance in the CACC Women's Basketball Championship, the Lightning earned the fourth seed in the South Division after posting a 10-9 conference record along with a 13-13 overall mark. The Lightning ended the regular season by winning three consecutive games against Wilmington, Dominican and CACC South Division champion Philadelphia University.
In the Lightning's 76-58 victory over Philadelphia University on Tuesday night, senior forward
Briana Richmond-Peters (Brimm Medical Arts H.S./Camden, N.J.) made her final appearance at the Jones Center one to remember by scoring a career-high 23 points with 10 rebounds as Goldey-Beacom never trailed en route to the victory. Meanwhile, freshman guard
Jasmyne Lewis (Rancocas Valley H.S./Mount Laurel, N.J.) added 12 points in the victory.
Junior guard
Lillian Chukwueze (Cherry Hill East H.S./Cherry Hill, N.J.) is the Lightning's leading scorer by averaging 15.3 points per game, a mark that ranks eighth in the CACC. She had scored in double figures in 18 consecutive games before being limited to just eight points in Tuesday's victory over the Rams. However, she contributed seven rebounds and five assists.
The lone senior on the Lightning this year, Richmond-Peters leads the Lightning by grabbing 9.8 rebounds per contest, which ranks fourth in the CACC. In addition, she is the team's second-leading scorer with an 11.1 average. Over the last three games, the co-captain has played extremely well by averaging 17.6 points and 13.3 rebounds per outing with a "double double" in each game.
Richmond-Peters has also moved into eighth place on the Lightning's career rebounds list and enters the CACC quarterfinal with 536 career rebounds.
The Deacons, who claimed their first CACC regular season title since 1990-91, will bring a 17-9 overall record and a 15-4 CACC mark into Saturday's quarterfinal. However, Bloomfield will be trying to rebound after having a seven-game win streak snapped with a 57-54 loss against Caldwell on Tuesday evening in the regular season finale.
In the loss against Caldwell on Tuesday night, the Deacons overcame a 16-point deficit in the second half to tie the game at 54-54 before a late basket with eight seconds left game the Cougars a 56-54 edge they did not relinquish. Sophomore guard
Ariel Wilson (Lake Taylor H.S./Chesapeake, Va.) led the Deacons with 10 points while junior center
Tierra Scott (Appoquinimink H.S./Bear, Del.) contributed eight points with 15 rebounds.
Senior guard
Ivettlis Castro (Carteret H.S./Carteret, N.J.) is the Deacons' leading scorer with an 11.8 average while Wilson contributes 11.0 points per outing. Scott is the team's leading rebounder by averaging 8.6 rebounds per outing.
Led by 13 points from Wilson and freshman guard
Tianna Smith (Paramus Catholic H.S./Nanuet, N.Y.), the Deacons posted a 65-53 victory over Goldey-Beacom College in the teams' lone regular season meeting on Feb. 8 at the Jones Center. Junior forward
Chelsea Grover (Seneca H.S./Southampton, N.J.) posted a "double double" in the loss for Goldey-Beacom by scoring 10 points with 10 rebounds.
The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the CACC semifinals on Friday, Mar. 7 at the George R. Newman Center on the campus of Caldwell College. The game time and opponent will be determined after Saturday's quarterfinal contests.
