By: Michael L. Damon
mdamon@jjay.cuny.edu
(212) 237-8322
Box Score
New York, N.Y.— In a preview of what is guaranteed to be an amazing Baruch Invasion on February 9, it was the Bearcats who invaded the Doghouse and came away with the win as the John Jay men's basketball team lost to Baruch College 81-72 on Wednesday evening.
John Jay (7-6 (0-2 CUNYAC) was led by
Jamar Harry with a double-double of 17 points and12 rebounds. He also had six assists and four steals in the contest.
Swindon Charles added 16 points and six rebounds, while
Jerome Alexander had 14 points.
The Bloodhounds also had a great game from
Justin Alleyne who had a game-high eight assists along with three steals in 19 minutes
Baruch College (8-6, 2-0 CUNYAC) was led by Nate Young with 24 points and seven rebounds, while Chris Beauchamp had 22 points and nine rebounds.
The game was close in the first half with neither team leading by more than six points, and the stanza saw three lead changes and three ties.
After a see-saw first half, it was the Bloodhounds who led at halftime as John Jay was up 32-28 at the break.
John Jay managed to tightrope the lead through the first five plus minutes of the second half. The Bloodhounds never led by more than five, but never trailed during that span either.
But with John Jay holding a 43-39 lead, the Bearcats used an 8-2 run to grab a 47-45 lead with twelve minutes remaining, and Baruch never trailed again.
John Jay tied the second at 47 on the next possession. But the Bearcats zipped away with a 5-0 spurt to gain some cushion.
Then it was the Bearcats who tightroped its lead though the middle stages of the second half. John Jay pulled to within one possession of the lead twice, but never gained it.
Then up 64-60, the Bearcats propelled themselves with a 6-0 spurt to take a 70-60 lead with 2:06 to play. John Jay managed to get to within five points of the lead with just over thirty-seconds remaining, but Baruch went 6-for-8 from the free throw in the final minute to preserve the win.
It proved to be an evenly matched contest all around. Both teams scored 32 points in the paint and both earned 10 second chance points. The Bearcats outscored John Jay 14-11 on points off turnovers and held a 42-39 rebounding edge.
John Jay returns to action on Friday January 6 for a home contest against Lehman College at 7 p.m.
