Purchase, N.Y.— The John Jay men’s basketball team picked up its first win of the season as the Bloodhounds defeated Montclair State, 72-62, in the consolation game of the Castle Classic Tip Off tournament on Saturday. John Jay is now 1-1 on the season.
The Bloodhounds had three players score in double figures as John Jay shot a lights out clip of 57 percent (28=for-49) shooting in the contest and 69 percent (18-for-26) in the second half. Emilio Gomez (Moca, Dominican Republic / William Taft) and Gary Brady (Bronx, NY / Martin Luther King) had a team co-high 15 points in the win, while Alex Valerio (Flushing, NY / Francis Lewis) came off the bench with 13.
Gomez was 4-for-4 from the floor, all of which were from beyond the three point arc. He also added seven assists in the win.
Montclair State got first run on the Bloodhounds opening the game on a 10-2 run. Then the Hawks built their lead to as much as 16 (20-4) less than eight minutes into the contest.
But the Bloodhounds chipped away at the lead and went on a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to single digits (22-14) with 7:49 to go capped on a jumper by Vaughn Mason (Bronx, NY / Alfred E. Smith).
The Bloodhounds got the deficit to as little as three with just over two minutes to go in the first half on a three point field goal by David Williams (Jamaica, NY / Martin Luther King) to make the score 28-25 before Montclair State established a 32-27 lead at halftime.
John Jay then opened the second half on an 11-0 run and took its first lead of the night in the process. John Jay grabbed the lead at the 19:14 mark on a Gomez three, and capped the run on a Brady lay-up less than three minutes into the half.
The Bloodhounds never relinquished the lead and led by as much as 16 before claiming the 10 point triumph.
John Jay returns to action on Tue. Nov. 20 at Ramapo College at 7:30 p.m.
