Despite a large comeback in the second half by Lehman College, the men's basketball team held on for a 65-63 win against the Lightning on Saturday afternoon in the Bronx. With the victory, the Bloodhounds improve to 10-7 on the season and 5-4 in the CUNY Athletic Conference. The Lightning drop to 6-10 and 4-5 in the conference.
Junior
Doug Levy notched 14 points, a game-high 18 rebounds, a game-high three blocks, and a team-high three assists. Sophomore
Romello Ford led John Jay in scoring with a team-high 15 points.
Senior
Jerome Petty added 11 points and a pair of steals. Senior
Essien Epps finished with nine points and eight boards.
The first two-and-a-half minutes consisted of four lead changes as John Jay led 8-5. With the Bloodhounds up 12-7, Lehman went on a 6-0 run to regain the lead with 13:45 remaining in the first half.
A layup by Petty put the Bloodhounds ahead and two straight baskets by Levy increased the advantage to six. Up by six with 7:39 on the clock, senior
Jordan Aiken started a 7-0 run with a three-pointer. The Bloodhounds went into halftime holding a 37-24 advantage.
The Lightning broke open the second half on a 15-0 run to lead by two. Petty made a layup to tie the score at 39 apiece. Down by four with 12:21 remaining in the contest, John Jay went on a 6-2 run to even the score, 47-47.
With 6:44 left to go, the hosts held a 56-51 advantage. Ford recorded the Bloodhounds' next 10 points to tie the game, 61-61, with two minutes on the clock.
The Lightning took a two-point lead but Petty responded with a three-pointer. The Bloodhounds' defense created a turnover and two missed Lehman shots in the next minute. A free-throw by Levy with three seconds left increased the lead to 65-63. Lehman had a last second three-point opportunity but did not convert.
John Jay went 25-for-64 (39.1%) from the field, 7-for-33 (21.2%) from behind the arc, and 8-for-10 (80.0%) from the charity stripe.
The Bloodhounds travel to the University of Valley Forge on Monday, January 21, for a non-conference tilt at 7:00 pm.
