• Tuesday’s slate was dominated by one game, the titanic rematch between Jefferson and Sciences. That one didn’t disappoint but there were some other important results in the CACC, too. Still, the report has to begin at Bobby Morgan Arena in Philadelphia…
• In a meeting of top 10 teams nationally, theUniversity of the Sciences exacted revenge for their only loss of the season by handing previously undefeated Jefferson its first defeat of the campaign, 70-59. The Devils, whose sole loss was back on January 3rd at Jefferson, led most of the way, built a 31-20 halftime advantage and grew their edge to 38-20 after a fast 7-0 start to the third frame. Jefferson was still trailing by a 53-38 score early in the fourth quarter but the Rams, who were one of only three undefeated teams in Division II (Drury and UCSD) coming into play, rallied. A 9-0 spell sliced the arrears to 53-47 with 6:30 on the clock but just as quickly a 7-2 Devils response pushed the margin back to 60-49 at the 2:36 mark and the die was cast. Sciences, which went 19-20 at the line overall, scored their last dozen points at the stripe to close it out, win their tenth in a row and pull ahead in the CACC South standings. Irisa Ye (22 points, 7 boards) and Alex Thomas (22 points; 4-8 3FG) supplied the bulk of the scoring for the Devils, who won the glass battle by eleven (45-34). Caitlyn Cunningham (22 points) and Jessica Kaminski (19 points, 8 boards) were standouts for the Rams, who had risen to #2 (coaches) and #3 (D2SIDA) in the national polls this week. Their 20-0 start was the second-best in program history, trailing only a 22-0 start in the 1992-’93 campaign. Sciences proved to be the more productive team from long-range (9-5) and had the answers when they needed them in this high-quality contest which could presage a third meeting in the CACC tournament.
• On many nights, Caldwell’s 75-57 win over Dominican would top the report but on this evening it was relegated to secondary status. Nonetheless the result tightens up the CACC North considerably, as the Chargers now find themselves tied for the top spot with Felician. The Cougars took control of the game in the second period, out-scoring the Chargers 22-5, flipping a 22-20 deficit into a 42-27 halftime bulge. Caldwell actually closed the stanza on a 16-1 binge, holding DC to 0-7 from the floor with five turnovers over the last 6:43. Dominican showed some bite in the third period by closing the gap to 46-40 (4:10) but another explosion to close a period helped Caldwell regain the ascendency, a 13-2 blast to grab a 59-42 edge after three frames. That was enough to secure the result and keep Caldwell in a third place tie in the division with Post. Andie Lennon (21 points), Alessia Smaldone (17 points, 6 assists) and Tina Lebron (14 points; 4-7 3FG) led the attack for Caldwell, which forced ten more turnovers (24-14), leading to 17 more field goal attempts. The paint was another strong suit for the winners, as they were +12 (38-26) in the lane. Korina Guerra (12 points) and Alpreshia Parker (11 points, 6 boards) topped the DC effort but they’ve lost two straight to fall into a tie for the top of the division.
• Felician staved off Bloomfield to nail down a 71-62 and claim their piece of the top spot in the CACC North thanks to solid work from Kayla Diaz (20 points) and Kameron Stone (18 points, 12 boards; 8-14 FG). The Bears gave the Golden Falcons all they could handle, leading 22-21 at the half and extending the span to 31-21 with a 9-0 start to the third period. Felician turned that completely around, though, going on a 22-4 jaunt to take a 43-35 lead with 1:55 left in the quarter. They never lost that lead, although Bloomfield rallied to trim the deficit to a slim 57-56 with 3:23 to play. Stone scored the next four points to ignite an 8-1 run that put the game out of reach (69-60, :33) for the Golden Falcons. Caitlyn Townes (career-high 22 points; 4-10 3FG) and Deja McKenzie (14 points, 10 caroms) led the way for BC but they lost ground in the chase for a playoff spot. Neither team shot well (Felician, 39%-32% FG) or made the three-pointer with any accuracy (9-54 combined). BC had a better day at the stripe (13-15; Felician 13-29 FT) but the Golden Falcons did have the upper hand in the paint (38-24).
• Georgian Court solidified their grasp on third place in the CACC South with a 78-65 victory over Chestnut Hill, winning all four periods along the way. The Lions were fronted by the duo of Destiny Thompson (21 points; 10-21 FG) and Carna Prokic (15 points) and shot 45% as a unit while also dominating at the foul line (16-29; CHC 5-9 FT) and in the lane (46-28). GCU used a 10-0 second period run to help claim a 33-25 halftime lead and put up a 9-0 spurt in the third quarter to crank the lead to 54-42 after three frames. The Griffins came back to within 58-50 with 6:39 left but the mountain was too high and they weren’t able to come any closer despite good games from Leah Miller (15 points, 11 rebounds), Lauren Crim (12 points, 16 boards) and Jaeda Wildgoose (12 points). Chestnut Hill hurt themselves with nine more turnovers (21-12) and shot just 36% overall, denting their comeback hopes.
• Right behind Georgian Court in the CACC South is Goldey-Beacom, an 81-62 victor over Holy Family. The win puts the Lightning back at .500 overall and was highlighted by good shooting (48% FG; 12-14 FT) and four players in double digits. Amanda McGrogan (23 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds), Sarah Round (17 points; 5-10 3FG), Alanna Speaks (17 points, 10 boards) and Tanner Turner-Rush (14 points, 8 rebounds) all had hands in the GBC success as they established a 40-29 halftime lead and held firm the rest of the way. The Tigers closed the gap to 64-52 after three periods but lost their steam in the last stanza with GBC making sure of the win with a late 11-0 run. Molly Masciantonio (18 points, 7 boards), Casey Schwietzer (11 points, 6 caroms) and Katie O’Hare (11 points) played well for Holy Family but their shooting numbers (39% FG, 3-4 FT) and lack of paint presence (GBC, 38-24) hurt. HFU has dropped four in a row and lost a chance to pull into a virtual tie with the Lightning for the final CACC South playoff spot.
• Post showcased excellent balance in their 64-52 win over Nyack to keep their slice of third place in the CACC North. The Eagles received contributions from Mia Crooms (11 points, 7 boards), Sha’Raya Haines (11 points), Gabriela Middleton (10 points, 7 caroms) and Taylor Ceballos (10 points) as they scored the first twelve points of the game and pulled away from the Warriors in the late going. Nyack, despite falling for the ninth straight outing, was within 25-22 at the half and tied at 35 with 2:48 with 2:48 left in the third period. That’s when the Eagles rolled up a 10-4 spell to end the frame (45-39) and wore down the Warriors in the final ten minutes. Kyla Given (18 points) and Joselin Wright (11 points) topped the Nyack ticket but they were out-rebounded (48-39) and awful from three-point land (3-25 3FG) in this one. Post actually the best overall record in the CACC North but is still even with Caldwell in third place, three games (loss column) off the pace.