New York, NY - The No. 2 seed John Jay women's basketball team trailed by 14 with 5:59 left to play in the fourth quarter before staging a 12-2 run over a 3:16 span to cut the deficit to four, 62-58, but it wasn't enough as Brooklyn's Ericka James sank two free throws as the Bloodhounds were edged 64-58 in the 2023 CUNYAC Women's Basketball Championship on Friday afternoon.
With the loss, the Bloodhounds stand at 18-9 and 11-3 in CUNYAC play while the Bulldogs finish at 19-7 and 14-0 in conference play.
Following the conclusion of the 2023 CUNYAC Champions, two members of the Bloodhounds were named to the All-Tournament Team in senior forward Katie Healy and sophomore forward Ashley Zeolla based off the two-game postseason run.
Four Bloodhounds finished in double-figures, led by Healy, who registered her 62nd career double-double, netting 16 points and 11 rebounds while adding three steals in 38 minutes of action.
Chayanne Kelly added 14 points, all coming in the fourth quarter of play, highlighted by four three-pointers, three coming in a 10-0 run by the Bloodhounds to cut the deficit to four, 60-56.
Bobbi Green finished with 11 points, eight rebounds to go along with five steals, and three assists in her 33 minutes of play.
Kamryn Hammond chipped in 10 points while grabbing six rebounds, dishing out four assists and recording two steals.
Three Bulldogs finished in double-figures, led by Gianna Gotti, who was named Tournament MVP, as she led all scorers with 26 points on 8 of 18 shooting, while hitting on 4 of 7 from the outside.
She filled up the stat sheet, adding eight rebounds, dishing out six assists while recording six steals in 36 minutes.
Ericka James netted 15 points while Nancy Pham added 10 points and three steals. Sarah James, who was limited to just one point, grabbed a team-leading 13 rebounds.
Healy scored the opening points of the 2023 CUNYAC Championship before Brooklyn answered back on an 8-0 run capped by a Dasha Goodman three-pointer.
The Bloodhounds responded with an 8-2 run of their own, as Green powered the John Jay offense, scoring six of the eight points during the span, as Green hit a pull-up jumper to tie the game at 10-10 with 24 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Both teams had auspicious starts to the second quarter before Gotti dialed up a three-point, which kickstarted an 11-4 run by the Bulldogs, as Brooklyn built a 21-14 lead.
Green and Healy each connected on three-pointers, which cut the deficit to just three, 23-20, before Brooklyn scored five of the final seven points of the frame, entering the break with a 28-22 lead.
John Jay held Brooklyn to under 30.0 percent shooting from the field in the opening half while the Bulldogs held a slim 25-23 edge on the boards.
Brooklyn opened the third quarter on a 9-0, thanks to a trio of three-pointers from Ericka James and Pham, who connected on back-to-back triples that pushed the lead to 37-22, the largest for the Bulldogs.
Healy and Hammond led the Bloodhound charge, each netting six points apiece over John Jay's 12-3 run that saw the No. 2 seed climb back into the contest, trailing by two possessions, 40-34, after Ayanna Edwards spotted Hammond for a wing three-pointer.
The Bulldogs increased their lead to 11, 54-43, after outscoring the Bloodhounds, 14-9, over the final 3:16 of the third quarter, capped by two made free-throws by Gotti.
Brianna Gutierrez opened the fourth for Brooklyn with a layup as Brooklyn claimed a 56-43 lead thirty seconds into the final period.
Zeolla hit one of two from the free-throw line, which kickstarted John Jay's furious comeback attempt.
John Jay produced a 15-6 run that spanned over seven minutes after Edwards hit the mid-range jumper with just 2:16 left in regulation as the Bloodhounds trailed 62-58.
The Bloodhounds had a chance to cut further into the lead. Kelly misfired on her chance from the outside after bringing John Jay back with a pair of thrilling three-pointers that sparked the boisterous reaction from the Bloodhound Faithful.
James tracked down the loose ball but fouled by Healy with just eight second left to play. James hit both free-throws as John Jay called for time.
Hammond hoisted a shot but hit off the rim as Healy got the loose ball for her 11th rebound of the game, but Brooklyn held on for their third-straight CUNYAC championship.
For the game, both teams shot 35.0 percent from the field with each shooting efficiently from three-point range as the Bloodhounds converted on 8 of 19 from the downtown while the Bulldogs hit on 10 of 30 from long range.
The contest was decided with free-throw shooting, as Brooklyn converted on 70.6 percent from the line (12 of 17) while the Bloodhounds connected on 6 of 14 (42.9 percent). After trailing on the boards at halftime, John Jay won that battle, outmuscling the Bulldogs, 43-41, and 16-13 on the offensive end.
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