RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Concordia Clippers women's basketball team earned an important victory, 70-67, on Tuesday evening at Felician University in their Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) North Division game.
The win at Job Gymnasium eliminates both Nyack and Post from catching Concordia in the North Division standings for a CACC Championship Tournament berth as the Clippers are closing in on their first-ever appearance in the tournament.
In the first quarter the Golden Falcons took an early 4-0 lead as Concordia answered with eight straight points to hold the 8-4 advantage at the 5:31 mark. A 9-0 run for Felician would follow as the home team regained the lead, 13-8, with under four minutes to go in the period. The Clippers would end the quarter of a 11-3 run as Concordia led 19-16 after 10 minutes of action.
The Clippers continued their strong offensive performance in the second quarter as Concordia increased their lead to eight by the 8:14 mark. The Golden Falcons would cut their deficit to three points, 29-26, but the Clippers ended the period on a 10-1 run as Concordia went into the locker room with a 39-27 advantage.
The third quarter saw Felician begin with a 13-6 run as the Clippers' lead was cut to 45-40 at the 4:55 mark. Concordia would then follow with a 13-5 run to increase their lead back to double digits as a jump shot for Felician at the end of the period brought the score to 58-47.
In the fourth quarter the Golden Falcons began with a three-point basket as they looked to mount a comeback. The Clippers would then use a 9-3 run to hold a 14 point advantage, 67-53, with 6:28 to go in the period. Felician knocked down four straight three-point baskets as Concordia's lead was cut to 67-65 with 1:40 remaining.
The Clippers would hit one of two free throws after being fouled with 15 seconds to go to take a three-point advantage. Concordia stole the inbound pass after a timeout and knocked down one more free throw to lead by four. The Golden Falcons managed a layup with under four seconds to go, and fouled junior Julianne Wilkinson (Red Hook, N.Y.) with 0.4 to go. After knocking down one of two from the line, the Clippers would steal another inbound pass to hold on for the 70-67 win.
Wilkinson led Concordia with 23 points as she added two rebounds, a block, and an assist. Junior Lyric Blanch (Kingston, N.Y.) chipped in with 16 points as senior Jessica Rosalbo (Staten Island, N.Y.) finished with eight points, seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Junior Hadiyah Black (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the Clippers with nine rebounds and three blocks to go along with five points.
Concordia (7-16, 6-8 CACC) will next visit Chestnut Hill College on Saturday in a CACC game in Philadelphia, Pa. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. as fans unable to attend can follow the action by clicking on the live stats and video links under the women's basketball schedule page on ConcordiaClippers.com.