AshleyZeolla
Carlisle Stockton, Inc
56
Hunter Hunter 15-12;9-5 CUNYAC
61
Winner John Jay JOHNJAYW 18-8;11-3;CUNAYC
Hunter Hunter
15-12;9-5 CUNYAC
56
Final
61
John Jay JOHNJAYW
18-8;11-3;CUNAYC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Hunter Hunter 19 17 8 12 56
John Jay JOHNJAYW 9 18 14 20 61

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | John Jay Sports Information

Women's Basketball Advances To CUNYAC Championship; Defeats No. 3 Hunter, 61-56, On Wednesday Evening

New York, NY - For the second straight year, the John Jay women's basketball team advanced to the CUNY Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) title game, coming from behind to hold off the No. 3 seed Hunter College Hawks, 61-56, on Wednesday at The Doghouse. 
 
The Bloodhounds, who move to 18-8 overall on the season, will face a familiar foe in top-seed Brooklyn, who defeated the No. 5 seed York College, 73-63, for the second consecutive year in the championship finale.
 

"We are proud of this group," commented head coach Lynda Day. "They never gave up and kept chopping away. The defensive intensity, especially down the stretch, combined with the support of our boisterous crowd, gave us that extra spark. We made pivotal free throws at crucial moments at the end bringing us another step close to our ultimate goal." 
 

 
Senior forward Katie Healy registered her 61st career double-double, scoring a game-high 20 points on an efficient 6 of 10 shooting from the floor while hitting 7 of 11 from the charity stripe in 37 minutes of action. 
 
The veteran Bloodhound forward pulled down 13 rebounds while also dishing out a team-leading four helpers and recording four steals in the victory. Ashley Zeolla joined Healy in double-figures, netting 14 points on 7 of 12 shooting while adding seven rebounds, five of which coming on the offensive end.  Kamryn Hammond scored seven points but was a key cog in the Bloodhounds rebounding efforts, as the Poughkeepsie, NY native grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds, 13 of which coming on the defensive end, in her 37 minutes of play. 
 
Hunter, who concludes their season with a 15-12 overall record a 9-5 mark in league action, had two players in double-figures, led by Alexa Charles, who finished with a team-high 17 points on 8 of 15 shooting while pulling down six rebounds and swiping a game-high eight steals in 30 minutes. Kimberly Lau netted 11 points on 3 of 7 shooting while pulling down four rebounds, three assists and two assists in playing the full forty minutes. 
 
The visiting Hawks seized control of the momentum early on, keeping the Bloodhounds and the energy-packed crowd at bay in the early portion of contest. 
 
Zeolla's layup made it 6-2 in favor of the home team before a 9-0 run by the Hawks gave the visitors a five-point lead, capped by a Lau three-pointer off the feed from Katie Burke at 3:28 mark before Healy completed the traditional three-point from the line. 
 
Hunter closed out the opening stanza scoring all eight points in building a ten-point advantage, 19-9, after Makkedah Murray muscled in a layup from Kennedy DeRuy. 
 
It was auspicious start for the Bloodhounds, who were held to a 4 of 17 start while Hunter connected on 45.0 percent (9 of 20) from the field in the opening ten minutes. 
 
Erin Cosio opened the second quarter with a jumper that extended the lead before Tiffany Bogle, who finished with six points and five rebounds, connected on a put-back layup. 
 
The Hawks started to up their advantage, scoring nine of the next 14 points over the next three minutes, going ahead 30-18 after Burke hit the mid-range jumper with 4:52 left before halftime. 
 
John Jay began to chip away at the lead, converting from the free-throw line, as they outscored Hunter, 9-6, over the final three minutes after hitting 4 of 5 from the line, as the Bloodhounds trailed 36-27 at the break. 
 
The Bloodhounds continued to display their dominance on the boards finishing with 13 in the frame, holding a 29-13 edge in the first half. 
 
Both teams struggling to find their rhythm to start the third quarter, before Eliah Yode hit a pair of free throws for Hunter, increasing the lead to 38-27. 
 
From there, the momentum swung in favor of the Bloodhounds, as John Jay staged a 14-6 to get within one, 42-41, after Healy's layup off the feed from Ayanna Edwards with 64 seconds remaining in the third quarter. 
 
During the outburst, the Bloodhounds held the Hawks to just two made baskets in nine chances while Healy and Zeolla combined to score 12 of the 14 points as John Jay converted on 7 of 12 from the field over the six-minute span. 
 
A pair of free throws by Cosio brought the quarter to a close, with a nine-point now dwindled to just three, 44-41, entering the final quarter. 
 
Charles scored the first points of the final frame for Hunter, pushing the lead to five, before a quick response from CUNYAC First-Teamer Healy, as she completed the three-point play from the line, making it a one possession game, 46-44. 
 
The Bloodhounds continued their comeback efforts, scoring six of the next ten points over the four-minute span, but a pair of Lau free-throws kept it a one-point game, 52-51, with 4:20 showing on the game clock. 
 
On the next Bloodhound possession, the crowd came unglued as Hammond dialed one up from the corner, giving John Jay their first lead since early on in the contest. 
 
Lau answered right back with a left-handed scoop-layup, knotting the game at 54. 
 
Free-throws proved to be the difference, favoring John Jay, as they hit on 7 of their final nine attempts from the line while the Hawks managed to connect on 2 of 6, with Healy sealing the with eight seconds left as the Bloodhounds will advance to their second straight CUNYAC final on Friday against Brooklyn. 
 
For the game, the Bloodhounds shot 34.4 percent while Hunter connected on 35.5 percent from the floor. 
 
John Jay's stifling three-point defense was on full display, as the Hawks converted just one three-pointer on 22 attempts. 
 
Second-chance opportunities favored John Jay outscoring Hunter, 15-5. The Bloodhounds outmuscled the Hawks, 53-31 on the boards, highlighted by a 31-19 advantage on the defensive end. 
 
Friday's championship finale will be contested at the Nat Holman Gymnasium on the campus of CCNY on Friday, February 24 at 5:30 p.m. The 2023 CUNYAC Championship will be streamed live on Facebook Live.
 
 
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