The men's basketball team fell to Alfred State College, 78-64, on Saturday evening at the Doghouse. With the loss, the Bloodhounds' winning streak is snapped at three. John Jay drops to 4-11 overall. The Pioneers improve to 5-8. 

Kiernan Hayes led the Bloodhounds with his fourth double-double of the season. The senior recorded 19 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Sophomore Essien Epps registered a game-high 20 points, six rebounds, and a game-high six steals. Junior MiKing Richardson fell two assists shy of a double-double with 13 points and eight assists. Sophomore Luciano Cruz-Fernandez added seven points and senior Geno Ware and freshman Doug Levy grabbed four boards each. 

The first four minutes of the game went back-and-forth as there were five lead changes. With the Pioneers down by one, the visitors scored eight straight points to go up 13-6. Richardson scored John Jay's next six points to cut the deficit to 16-12 with 11:36 left in the half. Layups by Epps and Hayes trimmed the lead to three but Alfred State followed on a 6-0 run to lead 26-17. The guests ended the half on a 9-2 run to head into the second half with a 38-25 advantage. 

Three minutes into the second period, the Pioneers quickly increased their lead to 17. John Jay responded on a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 48-41 with 11:31 remaining. Alfred State scored five straight points but a three pointer by Epps trimmed the lead to eight. With four minutes left and trailing by nine, Ware scored three straight points. However, the Pioneers followed on a 5-0 run and made late free throws to hold on for the non-conference victory.  

John Jay finished 21-for-61 (34.4%) from the floor, 3-for-22 (13.6%) from behind the arc, and 19-for-23 (82.6%) from the free throw line. 

The Bloodhounds return to CUNYAC play when they host the College of Staten Island on Wednesday, January 18, at 8:00 pm at the Doghouse. The game will be live streamed at www.johnjayathletics.com/watch.