Bronxville, NY – The Concordia College Clippers women's basketball team battle Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) North Division foe Bloomfield College on Tuesday evening. In Concordia's last home game of the season, senior Chanessa Blakemore (Albany, NY) was honored as she played her last game in a Clipper uniform prior to tip-off. The Deacons spoiled the occasion as they edged out a 70-61 victory, their 12th of the season.
Concordia began the game unable to find their rhythm offensively as they fell behind 7-2 in the opening minutes. The Clippers fought back and got within two points of tying the game after two successful free throws by Sade Jones (Patterson, NJ) at the 9:28 mark. Bloomfield then went on a 6-2 run to take a six point lead with less than three minutes remaining in the first half. The Deacons concluded the half with the final basket as they went into the locker room with a 24-19 lead.
Bloomfield came out in the second half on fire as they outscored Concordia by a margin of 12-4 in the first two minutes. The Clippers would continue to trail by double digits throughout a majority of the period until Mariah Berry (Southington, CT) converted on a three-point play. With 6:04, Concordia now had the score back to single digits and a three-point basket by Krystina Agard (Queens, NY) a minute later brought the momentum back on the home team's side. Another three-point basket and a free throw with 2:21 allowed the Clippers to get within five points of tying the game.
With time running out, Concordia had to resort to fouling in hopes to catch the Deacons. However, Bloomfield converted on eight straight free throws in the closing minutes as the Clippers were unable to capture the win. The Deacons would hold on for a nine point lead and sweep the season series with Concordia.
Agard led the Clippers in scoring with 22 points which included an 11-of-12 performance from the foul line. She also added six rebounds, three steals and an assist in 40 minutes of playing time. Jones added 12 points while Blakemore added eight points and a team-high seven rebounds and four blocks. As a team, Concordia shot 34.0% (16-of-47) from the floor as they were outrebounded by a margin of 44-30.
The Clippers (7-19, 6-13 CACC) have finished the season with one more win then last year's record. Blakemore concluded her two year career at Concordia with 547 points, 646 rebounds and 153 blocks. Make sure to check back for post season awards and a season wrap up in the upcoming future on ConcordiaClippers.com.
