Women’s Basketball to Visit Caldwell on Saturday in the CACC Quarterfinals

Women's Basketball | 2/25/2015 12:00:00 AM

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In what has been an outstanding season to date that also has shown a great deal of potential for the future, Goldey-Beacom continues its campaign Saturday at Caldwell in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

Game time in Caldwell, NJ is 2:00 pm with the school providing live stats and broadcast. Tickets are $6 for adults, and $3 for seniors, children and students with an ID. Children under age three are admitted free and all students have to pay admission.

The Lightning (13-15, 12-7 CACC) are back in the conference tournament a sixth straight year and have won 13 of their last 22 games. The squad, which ended fourth in the CACC South Division, is aiming for its first league crown since 2011 when it gained an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

Lexi Bruno (Millville, NJ) not only is one of the favorites to be named the league's Rookie of the Year, but she has given GBC many different facets when it comes to her shooting, defense, court awareness and passion for the game. She is 33rd in the country with a 1.99 assist-to-turnover ratio, 28th with 5.0 assists per game, 42nd with a .386 three-point percentage, seventh in the CACC with 15.6 points per contest and 20th with a .422 shooting percentage.

The three-time CACC Rookie of the Week is the school's single-season leader with 141 assists and is second with 61 three-pointers, only three off the top spot set in 2012-13 by Jacinda Jones.

Senior Lillian Chukwueze (Cherry Hill, NJ) has been one of the Lightning's spark plugs in her two years with the squad. Last season, she averaged a team-best 16.0 points per game in being named second team all-league and helping GBC reach the ECAC Tournament final.

The standout guard is eighth in the league with 15.5 points per game, 12th with 7.8 rebounds per contest and 24th with an .404 shooting percentage. She is eighth in school history with 884 points, seventh with 70 three-pointers and just outside the top 10 with 436 rebounds.

Goldey-Beacom this season needed someone to step up in the post and freshman Britani Bryson (Hampton, VA) has done just that. Giving the squad muscle and aggressive play, the two-time CACC Rookie of the Week is tied for ninth in school history with 31 single-season blocks, 29th in the league with 10.9 points per game and tied for 16th with 7.1 rebounds per contest.

Freshman Reighly Melochick (Pottsville, PA) is one of the Lightning's go-to players when it comes to outside shooting. She is third on the school's single-season list with 55 three-pointers, 35th in the league with 10.0 points per game, 11th with a .469 shooting percentage and second with a .417 three-point percentage.

Senior Taylor Leonard (Lake Katrine, NY), who gives the squad leadership and experience, is the last player remaining from the 2011 squad and this season became the program's fourth player to reach 100 career 3-pointers. Sophomore Jasmyne Lewis (Mount Holly, NJ), who can do it all in the post and the perimeter with her great court awareness, is averaging 6.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

To give an idea on what the future brings, 52.4 points per game and 25.9 rebounds per contest have been recorded by the freshmen and sophomores this season. That represents 74 percent of the scoring and 65 percent of the rebounds.

Goldey-Beacom in the Division II era is 6-6 is the CACC Tournament with a 4-3 mark in the quarterfinals.

Caldwell (18-10, 15-4) grabbed the top seed from the North Division and has won its last seven games. The teams met in Wilmington on February 14 and it was the Cougars grabbing a 96-92 overtime triumph in a game that was tied at 50 at halftime.

These schools also met last season in the ECAC semifinals with GBC prevailing, 77-64 in Fairfield, CT. Chukwueze scored a career-high 34 points in that game to go with 13 rebounds.

The winner of this game faces either Philadelphia U. or Dominican (NY) in the semifinals next Friday, March 6 on the campus of Philadelphia U. The final with an NCAA Tournament berth at stake is March 7.

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Players Mentioned

#20 Lillian Chukwueze: G; 5' 7"; Senior

#33 Taylor Leonard: G; 5' 5"; Senior

#22 Jazz Lewis: G; 5' 6"; Sophomore

#23 Reighly Melochick: G; 5' 7"; Freshman

#24 Lexi Bruno: G; 5' 4"; Freshman

#34 Britani Bryson: F; 5' 10"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#20 Lillian Chukwueze
: 5' 7"; Senior
: G

#33 Taylor Leonard
: 5' 5"; Senior
: G

#22 Jazz Lewis
: 5' 6"; Sophomore
: G

#23 Reighly Melochick
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: G

#24 Lexi Bruno
: 5' 4"; Freshman
: G

#34 Britani Bryson
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: F