By: Michael L. Damon
mdamon@jjay.cuny.edu
(212) 237-8322
Box Score Box Score
New York, N.Y.— The John Jay men's basketball team fell behind by as much as twenty-one in the first half, and twenty-four in the second half, before quickly zipping off a 19-0 run to suddenly make a game of it, but fell just a bit short in the waning moments as the Bloodhounds fell to Rutgers-Newark University 92-86 at the Doghouse on Monday evening.
With the loss, John Jay stands at 5-5 overall, while Rutgers-Newark improves to 10-0 on the season.
Despite the large first half deficit, the Bloodhounds and Scarlet-Raiders played a nip-and-tuck game through the early stages of the first half.
John Jay led 16-15 after a continuation three point play by
Jamar Harry with 12:29 to go. But the visiting Scarlet-Raiders took over the second portion of the first half with a 27-5 run to double-up the Bloodhounds with a 42-21 lead with 4:43 left.
Rutgers-Newark maintained a comfortable lead through the rest of the stanza and went into halftime up 49-29.
The Scarlet-Raiders carried its first half momentum into the second half and built a 64-40 lead with 15:25 to go on a lay-up by Pedro Burgos who led all scorers with 28 points on 10-for-15 shooting (7-for-10 from three point range).
John Jay still trailed by a sizable deficit and was still down 73-53 with 9:54 to go before John Jay quickly made a game of it.
The Bloodhounds 19-0 run took literally 3:21 off the clock, and suddenly John Jay was within a point with 6:33 to go.
But the Bloodhounds could not get a hold of the lead over the final six minutes. The Scarlet-Raiders made several clutch baskets and key rebounds down the stretch to desperately hold on.
The Bloodhounds kept pounding away. Down 82-76,
Isaiah Holman drilled a three point field goal to get back to within three with 3:46 to go. Then down 84-79,
Jerome Alexander connected on a lay-up with 2:37 to go to get back to within three.
After an unsuccessful trip down court by the Scarlet-Raiders, another field goal by Alexander made the score 84-83 with 1:58 to play.
Rutgers-Newark's Al'Don Muhammad then scored four straight points to get the Scarlet-Raiders back up by five. After making two free throws with 1:38 to play, he capitalized with a lay-up after John Jay missed a field goal attempt on the other end.
Then in the final minute,
Justin Alleyne connected on a continuation three point play with forty-six seconds left to get the Bloodhounds back to within a deuce and John Jay trailed 88-86.
But with just under fifteen seconds left, Rutgers-Newark got the break it needed. Noah McCoy, who had 10 points and seven (four key offensive) rebounds, pulled down a critical offensive rebound off a big miss and put back a lay-up that gave the Scarlet-Raiders the breathing room it desperately needed to hold on.
John Jay rushed up a three point field goal that missed, and Rutgers-Newark got the possession and got out of dodge with a narrow win.
Alexander led John Jay with 24 points, while Harry added 19. Alleyne added 15 and Holman scored 11. Alexander also dished out eight assists.
John Jay outscored Rutgers-Newark 39-20 on points off turnovers, including 32-5 in the second half. The Bloodhounds also held a 19-4 advantage on fast break points.
The Bloodhounds scored 57 points in the second half, giving John Jay 126 second half points scored in its last two home games.
John Jay returns to action on Wed. Dec. 29 against Albright College for the opening round of the Albright College tip-off tournament at 8 p.m.
