By: Michael L. Damon
mdamon@jjay.cuny.edu
(212) 237-8322
Box Score BOX SCORE
Farmingdale, N.Y.— The John Jay men's basketball team improved to 2-0 on the season after an 85-76 win over Farmingdale State in the opening round of the Mariott Tip-off Classic at Farmingdale State.
With the win, the undefeated Bloodhounds will play for the tournament championship on Saturday against Montclair State who defeated SUNY Brockport in the tournament's other game.
The Bloodhounds shot an incredible 56.9 percent (33-for-58) from the field, including 64 percent (16-for-25) in the second half.
John Jay was led by
Jerome Alexander with 22 points (10-for-20 shooting) to go along with six assists. Four other players reached double figures in scoring, including
Jamar Harry with 14,
Joel Gibson with 14,
Matt Collins with 11 and
Isaiah Holman with 10. Harry, who shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the field, had a team-high 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
John Jay also held a 28-13 advantage in points off the bench, which was led by Gibson's 14. He shot 7-for-8 from the floor in the contest.
The Bloodhounds led for most of the first half. But a big spurt to end the half gave John Jay a sizable lead. Up 31-30 with 3:22 to go, John Jay closed out the stanza with a 7-0 run to lead 38-30.
John Jay balanced a tight rope in the second half. The Bloodhounds led the entire second half, but the Rams pulled to within one on three occasions. But leading 60-59 with 7:17 to go, the Bloodhounds spurted an 8-2 run to lead 68-61 with 4:34 to go. John Jay led by as much as nine late in the contest before eventually winning by that margin.
Farmingdale State was led by Dyshaun Flournoy with 26 points, while Josh Smith had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
