BLOOMFIELD, NJ – After a see-saw battle in the first half with the Tigers, the Bloomfield College men's basketball team seized control in the second to score a to a, 92-75 victory at home Saturday afternoon. The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) win over Holy Family University pushed the Bears to 16-4 overall and got them back on track in league play, standing at an 11-1 mark.
 
The Tigers tough year continues as they fell to 2-17 overall and 1-11 in CACC action but the Game was designated as the 'Coaches vs. Cancer' game and that distinction had smiles all over The Den as the coaches wore sneakers to show support for the fight against cancer.
 
Bloomfield saw a tremendously balanced attack from their starting-five with each member of the squad finishing in double-figures for the day. Sophomore Matt Lajeunesse (Union, NJ) had a career-day with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor and corralled 9 rebounds. Junior Keith Washington (Philadelphia, Pa) followed with 18 points while captain, Nick Davidson (Lumberton, NJ) and sophomore, Safee Abdus-Sabur (West Orange, NJ) combined for 30 points. Captain, Rakwan Kelly (Newark, NJ) rounded out the top-scorers with a double-double afternoon, posting 15 points and 10 boards against the Tigers.
 
The CACC's number one threat from long-range, Abdus-Sabur, started the game with a three-pointer and he and Lajeunesse split the Bears first 12 points evenly at 6 apiece. The Tigers came out pumped for the showdown with the league's top team and kept pace with Bloomfield during the up-and-down opening half. Washington and Lajeunesse recorded 11 and 10 points respectively to lead the home team into the locker room with a slight 42-40 edge on the scoreboard.
 
Head Coach, Gerald Holmes tightened up his sneaker laces and straightened his tie to deliver an inspiring halftime speech that lit a fire under his regionally ranked squad. The Bears rattled off the first six points of the 2^nd half to put the Tigers on notice and after an emphatic dunk from Lajeunesse, the home team went on a 9-1 run to distance themselves from their Philadelphia visitors, 59-45.
 
Holy Family gave one last push in the final frame and cut their deficit to nine (78-69) with 4:27 to go but the Bears quickly shut the door and collected the conference win at home.
 
The proceeds from Saturday's ticket sales will be donated to the Coaches vs. Cancer initiative. For the past 25 years, the Coaches vs. Cancer program, in collaboration with the National Association of Basketball Coaches, has united coaches and fans nationwide to help the American Cancer Society defeat a common enemy – cancer. With your passion and dedicated support, the impact has been felt in communities nationwide.
 
Through fundraising and education initiatives, the Coaches vs. Cancer program has supported the American Cancer Society in improving and saving lives from cancer in the US and worldwide. The fight isn't over, and we need you on our team. For more information and to get involved, please Click Here.
   
Undefeated in league play at home, Bloomfield now rolls out the welcome mat for their next CACC opponent on Tuesday, January 30^th. Concordia College comes to The Den for a 7:30 pm match up in the team's second meeting of the season.
 
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