New York, N.Y.--- The John Jay men’s basketball team played tough for 40 minutes but the Bloodhounds fell short in the end losing to Kean University, 80-76, at the Doghouse on Monday evening.
With the loss John Jay falls to 2-12 (1-3 CUNYAC), while Kean University is now 10-4 (2-1 NJAC).
The visiting Cougars led the entire first half, and were up by as much as 16 (37-21) in the opening stanza. Kean opened the game on a 9-3 run, before outscoring John Jay 25-10 over the next ten minutes to take a commanding lead.
But the Bloodhounds mounted a rally and went on a 15-2 run of their own to cut the deficit to three (39-36) with 3:13 to play.
Kean then surged ahead with a 7-0 run to answer to go back up by double-digits (46-36) with 1:21 to play before settling for a 49-41 halftime advantage.
The Cougars then opened the second half with a 6-0 run to take a 55-41 lead early in the stanza.
But the Bloodhounds would chip away at the lead behind sophomore guard Godfrey Mascall (Brooklyn, NY/ Paul Roberson) who contributed 20 points (including 10-for-10 from the free throw line), seven assists, and four steals.
The Bloodhounds also got help from a 50 percent (14-for-28) shooting clip in the second half, and John Jay outrebounded the visiting team 42-21 for the game (including 20-6 on the offensive end).
John Jay tied the game for the first time on a lay-up by Daniel Desir (Jamaica, NY/ Jamaica) with 10:31 to play to make the score 59-59.
John Jay took their first lead of the night on the next possession on a another field goal by Desir, who chipped in with 18 points (8-for-11 shooting) and a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Cougars would reclaim the lead on a mini 4-0 run on back-to-back lay-ups by Bryan Miller (Trenton, NJ/ Trenton Central), who had 14 points (5-for-7 shooting) and five assists.
The Bloodhounds grabbed one more lead at the 8:13 mark on a three point field goal by Mascall to make the score 64-63.
But Kean went on a 9-2 run to reclaim a lead (72-66) they would not relinquish. John Jay got to within two on two separate occasions, most recent on a lay-up by Vaughn Mason (Bronx, NY/ Alfred E Smith) with 2:04 to play (78-76). But John Jay would not score again as Kean held on.
Mason recorded 16 points and nine rebounds for John Jay, while Bryan Keller (Piscataway, NJ/ Piscataway) led Kean with 23 (7-for-10 shooting).
John Jay will return to action on Wed. Jan. 10 against Brooklyn College, 7 p.m. at the Doghouse.
