Bergen Community College Men’s Basketball Season Ends with Loss in Final Four
By Mel Fabrikant Saturday, March 13, 2010, 07:52 AM EST
It took 34 games, but the Bergen Community College men’s basketball Bulldogs finally lost. Unfortunately for them, it happened in the semifinal round of the 2010 National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III Men’s Basketball Championship in Delhi, N.Y.
Bergen (33-1), the Region XIX champion and No. 1 team in the NJCAA Division III poll, lost 84-79 to Rochester Community & Technical College (Rochester, M.N.) in the tournament’s penultimate game March 12. Tomorrow, March 13, Rochester will play Joliet Junior College (Joliet, I.L.) to determine the national champion. The Bulldogs will play Roxbury Community College (Boston, M.A.) for third place.
Throughout Friday’s contest, Bergen had trouble keeping up with the Yellow Jackets. Rochester led for much of the first period and took a 49-41 lead into halftime. Preseason honorable mention All-American Elgin Brown (of Jersey City) spent a good portion of the half with two fouls, keeping the Bulldogs’ best player off the floor. In his extended absence, Rochester ran its lead to as many as 13. Despite his foul trouble, Brown finished the game with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks.
The second half was better for Bergen, which cut the lead to two late in the period, but never tied or went ahead. Poor shooting from the foul line (16/30) and three-point line (1/13) sunk the Bulldogs’ chances of a national title.
David West (of Paterson) had a double-double for the second day in a row, notching 18 points and 10 rebounds. Jayvon Beaty (of Hackensack) had 13 rebounds in the loss.
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.
Bergen (33-1), the Region XIX champion and No. 1 team in the NJCAA Division III poll, lost 84-79 to Rochester Community & Technical College (Rochester, M.N.) in the tournament’s penultimate game March 12. Tomorrow, March 13, Rochester will play Joliet Junior College (Joliet, I.L.) to determine the national champion. The Bulldogs will play Roxbury Community College (Boston, M.A.) for third place.
Throughout Friday’s contest, Bergen had trouble keeping up with the Yellow Jackets. Rochester led for much of the first period and took a 49-41 lead into halftime. Preseason honorable mention All-American Elgin Brown (of Jersey City) spent a good portion of the half with two fouls, keeping the Bulldogs’ best player off the floor. In his extended absence, Rochester ran its lead to as many as 13. Despite his foul trouble, Brown finished the game with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks.
The second half was better for Bergen, which cut the lead to two late in the period, but never tied or went ahead. Poor shooting from the foul line (16/30) and three-point line (1/13) sunk the Bulldogs’ chances of a national title.
David West (of Paterson) had a double-double for the second day in a row, notching 18 points and 10 rebounds. Jayvon Beaty (of Hackensack) had 13 rebounds in the loss.
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.
