By: Michael L. Damon
mdamon@jjay.cuny.edu
(212) 237-8322
Box Score New York, N.Y.— The John Jay women's basketball team fought valiantly for forty minutes in a great team effort, but fell just short in the end as the Bloodhounds were defeated by Hunter College, 74-62, in the quarterfinal round of the CUNYAC / Con Edison women's basketball championship at the Hunter Sportsplex on Sunday afternoon.
The loss ends the season for the Bloodhounds, who finished the 2011-12 campaign 7-18 overall and a sixth place finish in conference play this season at 3-9.
The Bloodhounds were led by
Jamecia Forsythe with 15 points, nine rebounds and three assists, while
Danielle Eagan added 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Kristen Markoe led the way for Hunter with game-highs 27 points and 14 rebounds. She was also flawless from the free throw line going 13-for-13.
Hunter never trailed. The Hawks scored the first five points of the contest to take a five point lead, leaving the Bloodhounds to play catch-up the entire contest.
Each time the Hawks appeared to pull away, the Bloodhounds had an answer to keep the contest close. Hunter led by as much as 10 in the first half, and the Hawks led by that margin on two occasions through the first twenty minutes.
Behind a 14-4 run through the middle of the first half, the Hawks took a 21-11 lead with 10:08 left in the first stanza. But John Jay fought back and outscored the Hawks 12-7 over the next three minutes to chop the lead to five.
The Hawks retook control and went back up by 10 late in the first half, before going into halftime with a 37-29 halftime lead.
Hunter went up slightly further in the second half, but failed to break the game open. Hunter nursed a lead between 8 and 14 points for the first nine minutes of the final stanza as the Bloodhounds made key baskets to hang in with a fighting chance.
With just under six minutes to go, the Hawks had a 14 point lead at 63-49 with 5:43 to play and appeared to have the game wrapped up.
But the Bloodhounds fought to the bitter end and got back in the contest. Behind stingy defense and clutch shooting, John Jay raced off on a 9-0 run to pull to within five and suddenly the Bloodhounds were down just five (63-58) with just over two minutes to go.
But on the ensuing possession, Hunter connected on a continuation three point play to put the Hawks back ahead by eight with 1:41 to go.
And clutch free throw shooting by Hunter kept the Bloodhounds at arms-length distance in the final minute preserved the Hawks win.
