Box Score
New York, NY – Like the acronym T.E.A.M. stands for, Together Everyone Achieves More, the John Jay men’s basketball team is playing together and everyone is achieving more. And the truth showed up on the scoreboard with five players scoring in double-figures as the Bloodhounds pulled off their most shocking win of the season by defeating first place, and undefeated in CUNYAC, York College, 75-72 at the Doghouse on Friday evening.
Alex Valerio (Flushing, NY/ Francis Lewis) recorded a team-high 20 points, while Godfrey Mascall (Brooklyn, NY/ Paul Roberson) and Kelvin Luna (Corona, NY/ Flushing) knocked in 15 a piece. Mascall also contributed 10 assists in the win.
Fellow teammate Vaughn Mason (Bronx, NY/ Alfred E Smith) added 11, while Daniel Desir (Jamaica, NY/ Jamaica) put in 10 and a team-high 11 rebounds.
“It was a great win for the team,” said head coach Charles Jackson. “It tells us that we can play with the elite teams in the conference, and it gives us an extra vote of confidence as we go deeper into the conference schedule.”
In a fast paced first half the visiting Cardinals opened the game on a 9-2 run to take a seven point lead four minutes into the contest.
But the Bloodhounds came storming back with an 11-2 run of their own to take a 13-11 lead. John Jay led by as much as three through the first 10 minutes of the opening stanza. And with the score tied at 17 with 10:00 to play John Jay went on a 19-4 run to grab a 36-21 lead with 2:27 to play, capped by a Luna three pointer as the senior guard was 3-for-3 from downtown during the run.
John Jay would never trail again in the contest. Mascall capped an explosive first half with a three pointer with four seconds remaining that gave the Bloodhounds a 39-26 lead at halftime.
The Bloodhounds built the lead to as much as 18 in the second half, and took a 57-39 lead with 13:19 to play on a lay-up by Desir.
But York did not go away quietly, and behind a 56 percent shooting clip in the second half (15-for-27) got back in the game.
They used a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to eight (57-49) with 10:32 to play.
The Bloodhounds would hold York at arms length distance for the next couple of minutes, still holding a 10-point lead (64-54) with 4:52 to play.
But York would chip away at the lead and with the Cardinals still trailing by nine (70-61) with 3:11 to play, they went on a 7-1 run to make it a one possession game (71-68 John Jay with 1:14 to play) capped by a pair of free-throws by Michael Salamanca (Hollis, NY/ Cardozo) who had 17 points and nine assists for York.
“We knew they were going to make a run at some point in the game because they are a good,” said Jackson. “But we have a young group of guys who are learning how to win, and they did a great job of holding them off, and hopefully my guys will buy into the system.”
On John Jay’s next possession Valerio’s lay-up attempt was denied by York’s Dennis Echols (Jamaica, NY/ Stroudsburg). But the Cardinals gave it back on their possession as Mascall recorded one of his game-high four steals after knocking the ball away from Salamanca and leaping beyond the scorers table to save the ball into the arms of Emilio Gomez (Moca, Dominican Republic/ William H Taft) who was fouled with 48 seconds remaining.
Gomez connected on one-of-two free throws to give John Jay a 72-68 lead.
Valerio then committed a foul on the next York possession sending Echols to the line for two free throws with 19 seconds remaining, and the 6’5” senior forward connected on one of two to make the score 72-69.
After an immediate foul, Valerio went to the line and connected on one of two to extend the lead back to four points (73-69) with 11 seconds remaining.
Salamanca then drilled a triple to cut the John Jay lead to one (73-72) with four seconds remaining before spending their final timeout.
Gomez was fouled with just under two seconds remaining and drilled both foul shots to give John Jay a 75-72 lead.
On York’s final possession Salamanca sent a homerun pass to Jeffrey Boone (Rosedale, NY/ August Martin), who led York with 24 points on 8-for-14 shooting. But his three point attempt at the buzzer hit off the front of the rim as John Jay held on.
John Jay will return to action on Mon. Jan. 22 against Rutgers-Newark, 5 p.m. at the Doghouse.
