There were six CACC games on the slate for Tuesday, but the two inner-city rivalries were postponed due to snow and the other four - all in the Garden State - finished with double-digit spreads. We kick off the roundup with a huge match-up between playoff hopefuls that was shockingly one-sided:
CALDWELL 94 CONCORDIA 60
Michael Balkovic racked up 21 points and 17 rebounds for his 16th double-double of the season, leading five in twin figures as Caldwell thumped Concordia at the Newman Center in a crucial battle between two teams fighting for the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division. Dawan Lighty (2-2 from 3-point range) and Billy McDonald added 16 points apiece for the Cougars, who led the entire way, instigating a 19-9 run to end the half and double their advantage to 50-30. A 15-5 burst when play resumed – triggered by back-to-back Lighty triples – put the game into orbit at 65-35, and the margin bounced between 26 and 35 the balance of the ballgame. Kevin Walker (12 points), Salvatore Vitello (10 points, seven assists off the bench) and Brian Kenny (six points, career-best 15 rebounds) also made key contributions for Caldwell, which is now in the driver’s seat in the playoff race, needing just one win or one Concordia loss to punch its ticket. Reserve sophomore forward Peter Aguilar was a one-man show for the Clippers, tying his career high with 29 points (10-of-22 FG) while the rest of his teammates struggled to muster 31 points on 11-of-50 shooting. The Cougars outshot their guests, 51%-29%, and fared much better from beyond the arc (6-13 to 3-26) while also dominating on the boards, 57-37. Tshyrad Oates offered 10 points and eight rebounds for Concordia, whose lone statistical bright spot was a 12-6 edge in turnovers forced. Its only hope for a postseason reprieve is to win the last two games and hope Caldwell falls in its last two.
DOMINICAN 65 FELICIAN 55
Down the road in Rutherford, division-leading Dominican used a late 19-4 surge to knock off Felician and reduce its magic number for clinching to one. John Decker recorded 18 points, including 5-of-9 shooting from distance, while Glenn Scalia notched 10 of his career-high 14 points (5-7 FG) over the final 5:47, adding seven rebounds in a reserve role as the Chargers transformed a 46-41 deficit with just over six minutes to play into a 60-50 upper hand with 39 ticks left. Scalia knocked down the tying three, added another one for breathing room and capped the run with two foul shots for the winners, who were the more effective shooters (43%-33%) and feasted off turnovers, 25-9. Lamine Cooper was high man for the Golden Falcons with 18 points (4-5 from 3), six rebounds and four assists, while J.R. Pringley flanked him with 12 points and seven boards in 40 minutes of action. Felician owned the glass, 51-27 (25-4 on the offensive end), but astoundingly shot just 3-for-17 from the foul line (DC was 14-19), which, along with the 17-9 turnover disparity, severely restricting their chances for success. Gerrel Irvin chipped in with 10 points, six caroms and two blocked shots for Dominican, which led by a game-high 12 points (35-23) early in the second stanza before the Golden Falcons used a 21-4 uprising, capped by a Cooper trey, to forge their largest advantage at 44-39, short-lived as it was.
BLOOMFIELD 80 POST 70
The color-coordinated tandem of Claude Blue (26 points on 12-of-13 shooting, 11 rebounds, three blocked shots) and Clarence White (14 points, 6-9 FG, five boards, eight assists, four steals) carried the torch for Bloomfield, which pulled away from Post in North Jersey to remain a game-and-a-half behind division-leading Dominican and reduce its magic number to one for securing a home playoff game. After five ties and four lead changes in the first 10 minutes, the Bears bared their claws with an 18-2 power run to open up a 34-20 lead they would not relinquish. The Eagles – who were paced by David Seymour’s 15-point, six-rebound effort off the bench – came as close as 69-64 with 1:45 remaining before a White lay-up triggered an 11-3 spurt that put the game on ice at 80-67, rendering a buzzer-beating Brandt Voiles three a mere footnote. Marvin Williams (13 points, four swipes) and Matt Hall (10 points, and seven boards but nine turnovers) made their presences felt for the winners, who were the vastly superior shooters (53%-33%) and had their way in the paint (56-24). Malik Howze registered 14 points and Voiles 13 with six rebounds in defeat for Post, which can still finish anywhere from second to fourth. Both teams were challenged at the 3-point line (BC 2-8, PU 9-33).
CHESTNUT HILL 81 GEORGIAN COURT 64
In the only game that had no bearing on the postseason races, Billy Cassidy exploded for a career-high 27 points and shattered the school record with eight 3-pointers (in 13 attempts) as Chestnut Hill downed Georgian Court at the Wellness Center, snapping a nine-game losing skid in the process. The Griffins led from pillar to post in this one, using a 23-10 second-half spree to provide some separation as a 49-44 lead inside of the 11-minute mark expanded to 72-54 following a trifecta from Christian Walck (13 points in a reserve role) with 4:53 on the clock. Demetrius Isaac submitted 11 points and four assists for The Hill, which outshot its hosts (49%-36%), and made 12-of-21 from downtown Lakewood, the program’s highest total since going 13-for-29 at Dowling on November 29, 2009. The Lions – who received 24 points and nine rebounds from Jordan Wejnert and 18 and eight, respectively, from Keith Hughes – were just 4-for-15 from deep but managed to hold a slight edge on the glass, 37-35. Cassidy’s eight 3-pointers eclipse the previous school mark of seven, accomplished five times: by Kevin Whaley, Isaac Greer and Ryan Cook (the latter two accomplishing the feat twice).
POLL POSITION
The new coaches and media polls have been released and there are now two teams ranked in the Top 25: University of the Sciences moves up to #21 in the NABC Division II poll and to #18 in D2SIDA poll, while Southern Connecticut re-enters the rankings at #25 in both. American International and Southern New Hampshire are receiving votes in the latter. Florida Southern anchors the top spot in both. The first official regional rankings will be released later today and will be reflected in the next report tomorrow afternoon.