Box Score
WATERBURY, Conn. – Bloomfield's Matt Wafula hit a layup with one-tenth of second remaining in regulation to force overtime, and the Deacons went on to steal a victory from the Post University men's basketball on Thursday night at the Drubner Center in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) game. The final score was 75-72.
Wafula hit the game-tying shot on a left-handed layup after he received an inbounded pass to even the score at 67-67. The basket came after junior guard
Jake Wilcox (Kent, Wash.) split a pair of foul shots with 15.2 seconds to play, to give the Eagles a 67-65 lead.
In the extra period, Post led by three, 72-69, after senior
Josh Lopez (Anchorage, Alaska) hit a three-pointer with 2:53 to play. However, Bloomfield (20-6, 14-2 CACC) scored the final six points of the contest to secure its 20
th victory of the season.
In the second half, Post (11-14, 9-7 CACC) used an 11-3 run over a span of 4:10 to gain a 54-49 lead with 6:32 to play in regulation. During the stretch, senior guard
Geraldo Fernandez (Monticello, N.Y.) scored four points, and Wilcox started the spurt with a triple. The Eagles grew their second half lead to as many as six points, 61-55, with 3:34 to play on a Fernandez triple. He finished the game with seven points and three rebounds.
Over a span of 2:23 in the opening stages of the second half, Post used an 8-0 run to claim its first lead of the game with 14:47 to play. The margin was a one-point advantage, 41-40. Junior
Sarunas Jackson (Corona, Calif.) turned in the first four points of the run, while Lopez and junior
Jerry Cummings (La Plata, Md.) both made field goals as well.
With 14:02 remaining in the opening half, Bloomfield held a 15-9 lead, when it went on an 8-2 run over a span of 4:14. At the conclusion of the spurt, the Deacons held their largest lead of the game, a 10-point margin, 21-11.
Post sophomore
Zach Krischer (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) responded with three triples during a 9-2 Eagles' run to cut the lead to as few as three, 23-20, with 7:04 to play before halftime.
The Eagles managed to tie the score at 27-27 with 1:43 to play in the opening stanza. During a 7-2 run over a span of 2:46, Jackson netted five points, while senior
Reginald Holding Jr. (Newark, N.J.) capped the run with a layup to level the score at 27-all.
However, Bloomfield scored seven of the final nine points of the frame to take a 34-29 advantage into the locker room.
For the game the Eagles were paced by Jackson who notched his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. His point output matches a season-high. Lee and Krischer added 11 points apiece for Post. Wafula had a game-high 26 points to lead Bloomfield. The Eagles' reserves outscored the Deacons' bench 22-4.
Bloomfield, the sixth-ranked team in the East Region, won its sixth straight game and 17
th out of the last 18 games. With the loss, Post had its season-best three-game win streak snapped.
The Eagles will take to the road for their final away game of the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 18. Post will take on Wilmington (Del.) and tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.
