SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Bloomfield College men's basketball team were all smiles Sunday evening after defeating the Warriors from Merrimack College, 109-91 in the NCAA Division II East Region Semifinals on the campus of LeMoyne College. The Bears used their highest offensive output of the season to advance to the tournament's Sweet 16 and earned the right to play in the region's Championship game Tuesday on Ted Grant Court.

The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) representatives with the 7^th seed move on to face the tournament's regional hosts and top-seeded Dolphins after their 67-63 win over The College of Saint Rose in Saturday evening's nightcap. Bloomfield will make their third appearance in the regional championship game, first since 2012, and remain the only CACC men's basketball team to capture the coveted crown after a win in 2011.
 
The Bears led the semifinal match up from wire to wire and came out shooting at a blistering pace, digging the Warriors a 15-4 hole to start off the game. Bloomfield shot 52 percent from the field (19-of-36) in the opening half fueled by the trio of Nick Davidson (Lumberton, NJ), Matt Lajeunesse (Union, NJ) and Keith Washington (Philadelphia, PA). Davidson led the way with 20 first half points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor followed by Lajeunesse who netted 14 points, going 5-of-8 from the field that helped the Bears (24-7) to a 57-26 advantage at the break.
 
Washington did most of his damage in the 2^nd half, burying four 3-pointers coming out of the locker room that deflated any hopes Merrimack had of getting back into the contest. The Bloomfield lead ballooned to as-much-as 42 points (70-28) in the final frame as the offense continued to fire on all cylinders with very little resistance from the Warriors.
 
Davidson finished up with a game-high 33 points, which included 3-of-4 from long range while Washington tickled the twine from deep 7-of-10 times and totaled 31 points on the evening. Lajeunesse registered his first career double-double as Bear, concluding the game with 16 points and a game-high 12 boards.
 
"Today was something special to watch," Coach Holmes said. "To see the team put together such an offensive display and play together as a unit was a great step for the program. Now we are a game away from attaining one of our team goals and I am excited for the guys to have that opportunity."
 
The Bears are now set to compete for the East Region Championship on Tuesday:
 
2018 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball East Regional
1. Le Moyne College (24-6) [NE10 automatic berth]
2. St. Thomas Aquinas (26-6) [ECC automatic berth]
3. University of Bridgeport (25-5)
4. Saint Anselm College (22-8)
5. The College of Saint Rose (20-9)
6. Merrimack College (19-11)
7. Bloomfield College (22-7)
8. Jefferson (21-13) [CACC automatic berth]
 
Regional Schedule (all played at Henninger Athletic Center's Ted Grant Court, Syracuse, N.Y.)
March 10 – First Round games
12 p.m.            Game No. 1. – Merrimack vs. Bridgeport (Warriors advance)
2:30 p.m.         Game No. 2 – Bloomfield vs. St. Thomas Aquinas (Bears advance)
5 p.m.              Game No. 3 – Jefferson vs. Le Moyne (Le Moyne advance)
7:30 p.m.         Game No. 4 – Saint Rose vs. Saint Anselm (Saint Rose advance)
 
March 11 – Regional Semifinals
5 p.m.              Game No. 5. Merrimack vs. Bloomfield (Bears advance)
7:30 p.m.         Game No. 6. Saint Rose vs. Le Moyne (Le Moyne advance)
 
March 13 – Regional Championship Game
7 p.m.              Game No. 7. Bloomfield vs. Le Moyne
 
National Schedule (all played at Sanford Pentagon, Sioux Falls, S.D.)
March 21 – National Quarterfinals
March 22 – National Semifinals
March 24 – National Championship Game
 
Live Stats available HERE and Live Video available HERE
 
Order your commemorative 'Home with Holmes – 300 Career Wins' T-Shirt now. Email Sports Information Director, Gladstone Harris (gladstone_harris@bloomfield.edu) for prices and size availability.
 
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