Bergen Community College Men’s Basketball Wins First Game in National Tournament, Earn Final Four Berth

One down, two to go.

Despite some tense moments, the Bergen Community College men’s basketball team tipped-off the 2010 National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III Men’s Basketball Championship in Delhi, N.Y. with a 97-89 win over Mountain View College (of Dallas, T.X.). With the win, the Bulldogs ran their record to 33-0 and now advance to the tournament’s Final Four. Bergen will play Rochester Community & Technical College (of Rochester, M.N.) Friday, March 12 at 6 p.m. for the right to advance to the national championship game. The title game is Saturday, March 13 at 8 p.m

Bergen pulled away from the Lions in the second half after trading leads midway through the period. Preseason honorable mention All-American Elgin Brown (of Jersey City) carried the Bulldogs through their first round contest, leading all scorers in points (30), rebounds (18) and blocks (3). He also nailed 10 of 11 free throws.

David West (of Paterson) notched a double-double, scoring 19 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Asmar Edwards (of Paterson) scored 17 and Derrick Ross (of Newark) chipped in with 15.

Bergen coach Sean Kelly said he was not surprised Mountain View kept the game close.

“There’s going to be tough games every time,” he said. “You have the best teams in the country here. Mountain View did a tremendous job.”

Bergen, the reigning Region XIX champion and No. 1 ranked team in the NJCAA Division III poll, will now face the Rochester Yellow Jackets, who bounced Sullivan County Community College (Loch Sheldrake, N.Y.) from the tournament with a 83-80 win.

Coach Kelly said the Bulldogs will need to “play our game” in order to win.

“In this kind of tournament, you have to do what you do best,” he said. “For us, that means we need to execute and stay together.”

Bergen Community College (www.bergen.edu) based in Paramus is a public two-year coeducational college, enrolling nearly 17,000 students at locations in Paramus, the Philip J. Ciarco Jr. Learning Center in Hackensack and Bergen Community College at the Meadowlands in Lyndhurst. The College offers associate degree, certificate and continuing education programs in a variety of fields.

Photo Caption: Forward Elgin Brown, a preseason honorable mention All-American, had 30 points and 18 rebounds in Bergen’s 97-89 win.