By: By Michael L. Damon
Box Score
Brooklyn, N.Y.— Daniel Desir (Jamaica, NY, Jamaica)connected on one of two free throws with two tenths of a second remaining to break a 58-58 tie and lift the Bloodhounds to victory as the John Jay men's basketball team defeated Medgar Evers College, 59-58, to clinch a berth into the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) men's basketball postseason tournament.
The Bloodhounds, who improved to 7-17 (4-8 CUNYAC) with the win, were led by Desir and Chris Jaeger (Hicksville, NY, Hicksville) who both came off the bench with strong performances. Desir knocked in 11, while Jaeger scored a team-high 12 points.
John Jay led most of the way despite the close score. The Bloodhounds opened the game on a 12-2 run to take a 10 point lead with 15:27 to go. John Jay connected on five of its first six field goal attempts to start the game.
But the host Cougars charged right back. They used a 10-0 run of their own to tie the score at 12-12 with 11:21 to play. With the game still tied at 14-14 moments later, the Bloodhounds responded with its own 10-0 run to go back up by 10 and the Bloodhounds led 24-14 with 6:39 to go capped by a Desir lay-up. Desir was 5-for-8 from the floor to improve his team leading field goal percentage to 66 percent this season.
John Jay maintained a comfortable lead and led by as much as 11 late in the first half. The Bloodhounds shot 50 percent from the floor in the opening stanza and led 34-24 at halftime.
The Bloodhounds maintained a 10 point lead two minutes into the second half before Medgar Evers College began to chip away.
With John Jay up 37-27 with 18:23 remaining, the Cougars used a 10-2 run to get to within two and the score was 39-37 with 14:28 to go.
The Bloodhounds clung on to the lead over the next several minutes as both schools traded baskets.
With John Jay up by four at 51-47, the Cougars went on a 6-0 run to take their first lead of the night and Medgar Evers led 53-51 with 5:13 left and would not trail again until Desir's free throw in the last second.
John Jay tied the game on its next possession, but Medgar Evers took a three point lead moments later and had a 56-53 advantage with 3:46 left. The game saw three ties over the final four minutes, but John Jay tied the game for the last time with 1:18 to go on a lay-up by Godfrey Mascall (Brooklyn, NY, Paul Robeson)who had nine points and a game-high 11 assists.
Over the final 1:18 with the score deadlocked at 58, Medgar Evers went 0-for-1 from the floor plus a turnover, while John Jay did not attempt a shot but committed one turnover as well.
But with just under a second to go, former Bloodhound Mohammed Abdul-Karim fouled Desir, who sank 1-of-2 from the line, enough to preserve the win for John Jay, who will be serving as defending champions in next week's tournament which begins on Sun. Feb. 22 with opponent and time to be announced depending on where all teams are seated.
Medgar Evers out-rebounded John Jay 44-33 and got a double-double from Ronald Holloway with game-highs 21 points and 12 rebounds.
Desir and Miguel Garcia (New York, NY, St. Raymond's) had five rebounds apiece to lead the Bloodhounds.
John Jay returns to action on Fri. Feb. 13 at Hunter College at 7 p.m.
