Box Score New York, NY - The John Jay men's basketball team returned to The Doghouse on Thursday night for the Bloodhounds' first home contest in exactly one month. Playing in their friendly confines for the final time of the calendar year, the Bloodhounds faced a tough battle with the visiting Houghton Highlanders.
After a slow start in the first half, John Jay bested the visitors output in the second half but fell short, 75-87. Despite the result,
Jamir Stewart recorded a career-high 22 points in his first start of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Jamir Stewart was good from three-point range for the Bloodhounds' first field goal of the contest, cutting the deficit to one possession after Houghton opened on an 8-0 run.
The Highlanders shot an efficient 63.3% from the field in the opening twenty minutes, leaving the home team to play catch up for the first half. After John Jay kept the game within two possessions in the opening stages, Houghton extended its lead to 23-12 on an 11-3 run heading into the under-12 media timeout.
The home team kept pace with the Highlanders over the next eight minutes as both teams combined for ten made buckets in that stretch. Houghton continued to find success from distance, nailing one of their nine triples in a 7-0 run that cemented a double-digit advantage headed into the halftime break, 47-27.
John Jay came back out on the floor motivated to improve on a slow-shooting opening 20. Houghton scored the opening points but the Bloodhounds answered with a 7-0 run - their biggest of the game so far. Stewart drained his second three-pointer of the night to extend the run to 10-3 and cutting the Highlanders advantage to just thirteen with 15:03 remaining on the clock.
The hot-shooting visitors found their form again as four Highlanders combined for eight straight points, cresting their advantage back over the twenty point mark.
Jordan Evelyn and Stewart continue to drive the offense at pace despite the deficit, combining for 36 points and five assists. Evelyn alone turned the Highlanders over seven times on the night.
Stewart accounted for five of the final 15 points of regulation as the Bloodhounds found their offensive rhythm in the closing minutes, but the visitors earned the win on Thursday night.
Stewart's 22 points and 5 rebounds in 30 minutes played are all season-high tallies for the sophomore. Evelyn's seven steals are his best in a single game through his three years at John Jay.
NEXT UP: The Bloodhounds close out the calendar year with a trip to Patchogue on Dec. 29 for a battle with St. Joseph's - Long Island at 1:00 p.m.
