BRONXVILLE, N.Y. – The Concordia College women's basketball team was edged at home in Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) North Division action on Saturday afternoon as the Bloomfield Bears came away with a 55-52 victory in the Meyer Athletic Center.
The Clippers would control the scoreboard early in the first quarter as Concordia led 9-2 at the 5:33 mark. Bloomfield would cut their deficit to two after five unanswered points, but the Clippers ended the period on a 6-4 run to lead 15-11 after 10 minutes of play.
The Bears continued to battle their way back and would knot the score at 15-15 as Concordia was held scoreless for almost the first four minutes of the second quarter. The Clippers would then rally off eight straight points to hold a 23-18 advantage with 5:03 to go in the half. Once again Bloomfield would battle back and at the 2:44 mark tied the score at 25-25. Neither side was able to make another sizable run as Concordia scored three of the last five points to lead 28-27 at the break.
Early in the third quarter the Clippers would hold a slim advantage on the scoreboard until a 6-0 run gave the home team the 41-33 lead with 5:56 remaining on the clock. After a timeout for the Bears, the visitors would hold Concordia scoreless for the remainder of the period as their 10 unanswered points put Bloomfield in front 43-41 going into the fourth quarter.
The Bears continued their offensive run as an 8-2 run would bring the Clippers' deficit to 51-43 at the 5:37 mark. Back-to-back three-point baskets for senior Julianne Wilkinson (Red Hook, N.Y.) would make it a one-possession game as Concordia worked their way back to trail by a point, 53-52, with 1:24 to go in regulation. The Clippers were unable to complete the late comeback as Bloomfield held on for the 55-52 victory.
Wilkinson led Concordia with 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field which also included six three-point baskets. She would also record five steals, four rebounds and two assists for the Clippers as senior Hadiyah Black (Brooklyn, N.Y.) finished with a team-high seven rebounds and a career-high seven blocks.
Concordia (1-14, 1-4 CACC) will next visit Georgian Court University on Wednesday evening for a CACC game in Lakewood, N.J. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. as fans unable to attend can follow the action by clicking on the live stats link under the women's basketball schedule page on ConcordiaClippers.com.