The men's basketball team lost to Shenandoah University, 85-70, in their season opener on Sunday afternoon in Winchester, Virginia. The Bloodhounds drop to 0-1 on the season. The Hornets improve to 1-0 on the year. 

"The end result today was obviously not the outcome we hoped for, but there were many positives that will show on film this week," said head coach Ryan Hyland. "Shenandoah played hard and exposed some of our weaknesses. Rob has done a great job with this group. We are a young team and some of those guys showed today why the future is bright. We will work hard this week to clean things up and make sure we're back on the right track heading into Friday."

Freshman Essien Epps recorded a game-high 30 points, shooting 12-for-24 from the field and 6-for-12 from behind the arc, to go along with six rebounds, two assists, and one steal in his first collegiate game. Freshman Jerome Petty registered 12 points, shooting 4-for-5 from three, and five rebounds. Freshman David Morris picked up eight points and four rebounds off the bench and junior Jesse Higgins had a team-high five assists and four rebounds. Junior Geno Ware added seven rebounds. 

Epps recorded John Jay's first seven points as the Bloodhounds had an early 7-2 lead in the first half. The Hornets then hit a three and John Jay followed on a 5-0 run to lead 12-5. The Bloodhounds responded as Epps and Petty hit back-to-back three-pointers as John Jay was up by nine with 9:47 left in the half. 

The Bloodhounds' largest lead of the game came one minute later when Epps once again hit a shot from behind the arc to lead 26-13. Shenandoah responded right away on a 19-8 run to cut their deficit to two points. At the half, John Jay led 36-34. 

Petty opened the second half with a three to put John Jay up by five. With 16:05 remaining, the Hornets tied the game at 42 apiece. The hosts ended up registering 12 straight points to give them a 50-42 advantage. Jump shots by senior Calvin Ingram and Epps cut the lead to four. 

With 5:42 on the clock, Shenandoah increased its lead to 71-54. John Jay made a late comeback but fell by a final score of 85-70.

John Jay went 25-for-63 (39.7%) from the field, 12-for-31 (38.7%) from behind the arc, and 8-for-15 (53.3%) from the free-throw line.

Despite the loss, Hyland feels this weekend was a great experience for his young team.

"This weekend has been a great learning experience for our guys on and off the court," Hyland added. "In March when we look back on the season, this weekend will surely be one of the fondest memories."

The Bloodhounds host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps College in their home opener on Friday, November 20, at 7:00 pm at the Doghouse. The match will be live-streamed at www.johnjayathletics.com/watch.