The Bloodhounds collected their first win of the season on Sunday evening against SUNY Old Westbury, 76-67, in the NYU Tip-off tournament. John Jay finished the tournament in third place. The Bloodhounds improve to 1-1 overall while the Panthers drop to 0-2 on the season. 

"Tonight was a great team win for our guys," head coach Ryan Hyland said. "Everyone who saw the floor gave exceptional effort and that's what helped propel us to the win. We came in focused and determined to end the weekend with a win and I was very happy with their resiliency."

Senior Darell Robinson nailed a three-pointer to open up the scoring in the game. Old Westbury recorded the next five points but Robinson made a lay-up to tie the game at five apiece. The next seven minutes consisted of both teams exchanging leads. 

With the score tied at 17-17, senior Korede Griffith recorded the next five points of the game to give John Jay a five-point lead. The Panthers cut the deficit to three but freshman Michael Maldonado connected on a three-pointer to give John Jay a 26-19 lead. 

With two minutes remaining in the half, Griffith made a lay-up to give John Jay a 10-point lead. Old Westbury cut the lead to 34-26 but with three seconds left, Robinson made a three to give the Bloodhounds an 11-point lead heading into the half. 

John Jay went 13-for-33 (39.39%) from the floor and 5-for-14 (35.71%) from behind the arc. 

The Panthers picked up the first basket in the second half but Robinson recorded the next five points to give John Jay a 42-30 lead. Old Westbury then went on a 5-0 run to cut the deficit back down to seven. 

The Bloodhounds responded right away by breaking open the game on a 7-0 run. With just under nine minutes left, Old Westbury cut the lead to 53-44 but senior Kris Owens hit a jump shot and senior Anthony Saldarriaga made a three to put John Jay back up by 14. 

The Panthers made a late comeback but the Bloodhounds held on for their first win, 76-67. The win gave Hyland his first collegiate win as a head coach. 

John Jay bounced back from poor shooting on Saturday to shoot 39.7% (25-for-63) from the field and 37.5% (9-for-24) from behind the arc. 

The Bloodhounds had three players finish with double-digit points. Robinson scored a game-high 25 points to go along with five assists, four rebounds, and three steals. Griffith recorded 12 points, eight rebounds, six steals, and three assists. Junior Kendal Jordan picked up his second straight double-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals. Saldarriaga added five rebounds and three assists. Senior Jordan Wells picked up five rebounds off the bench and Maldonado had eight points. 

For his efforts over the weekend, Jordan was named to the All-Tournament team. 

"We had another solid performance by Jordan, and Robinson's ability to score the ball allowed us to weather their runs," said Hyland. "Our bench was a huge part of the win tonight, they really helped us battle through our foul troubles. I was really proud of how hard they played."  

The Bloodhounds will travel to Grantham, PA for the Homewood Suites Tip-off. John Jay will face Messiah College on Friday, November 21, at 8pm. Depending on the outcome of the game, they will either face DeSales or Eastern Mennonite on Saturday, November 22. 

"It feels great to get the first win of the season under our belt," added Hyland. "We look forward to a great week of preparation for Messiah."


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