Pictures: https://dominicancollege.smugmug.com/Sports/Basketball2018-2019-Mens-Basketball

Pictures: https://www.flickr.com/photos/caccathletics/albums/72157679228211098

Caldwell, N.J. (3/10/19) The Dominican College men's basketball team won the 2018-2019 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Championship this afternoon after downing the top seed, Bloomfield College, 70-55, in a game played on Corino Court on the campus of Caldwell University.

With the win, Dominican (23-7) earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA East Regional Tournament which will begin starting March 16th.

Making their third consecutive CACC Championship Final appearance, DC brings home the crown for the first time since joining the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II back in 2000.

Junior guard Daraja Rodwell (Baldwin, N.Y.) was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP) and to the All-Tournament Team.  Teammates Jonathan Garcia (Springfield, Mass.) and Ian Gardener (Norwalk, Conn.) also joined Rodwell on the All-Tournament Team.

Rodwell delivered a stellar peformance in leading Dominican with 18 points (7-10 from the floor and 4-6 from the three-point arc) and 10 rebounds.

Gardener recorded 16 points, a team best 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. 

Tavon Ginyard (Brentwood, N.Y.) came off the bench to net 13 points (5-10, 3-6 from the three-point arc), four rebounds, three steals and two assists.  Garcia grabbed seven boards, all on the defensive end, two assists, two blocks, one steal and four points.

The Chargers opened the game with the first five points, but the Bears rallied to take an 11-9 edge with just under 11 minutes left in the first half.  Gardener tied the game with two free throws and began a 17-1 tear that saw DC jump in front 26-12.  BC would cut the lead to 26-21 in the final two and half minutes, but Rodwell recorded back-to-back trey's and Ginyard closed out the half with a layup to give the Chargers the 34-21 lead at the intermission.

Dominican would lead by as many as 20 points in the second half as Ginyard connected on a three-point bucket (68-48) with 3:31 left in regulation en route to the 70-55 win.