Garrison Watkins vs. Old Westbury
John Wagoner
66
YORK YORKM 2-10, 0-2 CUNYAC
69
Winner JOHNJAYM JOHNJAYM 5-8, 1-1 CUNYAC
YORK YORKM
2-10, 0-2 CUNYAC
66
Final
69
JOHNJAYM JOHNJAYM
5-8, 1-1 CUNYAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
YORK YORKM 29 37 66
JOHNJAYM JOHNJAYM 37 32 69

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

Men's Basketball Opens 2024 With 69-66 Home Win Over York

Four Bloodhounds score in double-digits, led by Garrison Watkins' 13th career double-double

New York, NY - With the score knotted at 65 at the 2:12 mark of the second half between John Jay and York College, graduate guard Garrison Watkins corralled the rebound and put the Bloodhounds ahead by two before sealing John Jay's first CUNY Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) as the Bloodhounds defeated the Cardinals, 69-66, in the first game of 2024 for both teams at the Doghouse on Wednesday evening. 
 
Four John Jay (5-8; 1-1 CUNYAC) players scored in double-figures, led by Watkins, who notched his 13th career double-double and third of the season, scoring a game-high 20 on an efficient 10 of 20 from the field. The Staten Island, native grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds, highlighted by a season-best 11 defensive boards in his 34 minutes of action. 
 

 
Jamir Stewart notched his third straight double-digit scoring performance, finishing with 16 points. Jordan Evelyn notched 13 points, six of which coming from the free-throw line while grabbing six rebounds, dishing out four assists and three steals. 
 
TJ Chisolm rounded out the double-figure performances, as he netted 11 points on 3 of 6, all of which coming from three-point range while finishing with a team-high five assists in 35 minutes. 
 
York (2-10;0-2 CUNYAC) also had four players score in double-figures, as Aidony Nivar led the way with 17 points on 7 of 13 shooting while connecting on 3 of 6 from three-point range. Nivar also dished out six assists, grabbed four rebounds, produced three steals and had two blocks. 
 
Olawale Kila recorded a double-double for the visiting Cardinals, finishing the contest with 16 points and a team-leading 17 rebounds, 11 of which coming on the defensive end while playing the full forty. Rohan Singh and Tafari Jerome concluded the game scoring 13 and 11 points, respectively, while combing on 8 of 25 from the floor and 4 of 14 from three point distance. 
 
The visiting Cardinals claimed an early 4-1 lead before the Bloodhounds staged a 15-7 burst over the next five minutes in taking a 16-11 lead, thanks to a jumper from Watkins off the feed from Chisolm. 
 
York scored nine of the next 14 points to trim the deficit down to one, 21-20, as Nivar was good from the outside after receiving the pass from Jerome at the 7:33 mark.  John Jay seized control of the tempo for the remainder of the first half, outscoring the visitors, 16-9, to take a 37-29 halftime lead. During the late run by the Bloodhounds, they connected on 6 of 11 shooting from the field while hitting on 3 of 5 from the outside, as Evelyn and Watkins combined for ten of the 16 points. The tenacious Bloodhound defense kept the Cardinals shooting at bay, with York only hitting on 4 of 12 during this span. 
 
John Jay finished the opening half shooting 46.7 percent from the field (14 of 30) while holding the opposition to just 36.1 percent from the floor (13 of 36). 

York commenced the second half on a 12-5 run of their own to get to within one, 42-41, as Tyres Desinor converted on a layup from Nivar. The Cardinals converted on 5 of their first six shots in the frame while holding the Bloodhounds to just 2 of 7 to start the second half. John Jay thwarted the York run with a 7-0 spurt of their own to take a 49-41 lead with Stewart dialing up a triple at the 14:09 mark. 

The momentum swung in favor of the visitors over the next 3:35, as York erupted on a 10-1 run to take a 51-50 lead after Singh hit from the outside as Kila found him for the assist. The visitors held a 57-54 lead with 7:20 showing on the clock before Adbul Seck was called for a regular foul and Nivar was assessed a technical, which resulted in the Bloodhounds shooting four free-throws, with Stewart and Evelyn connecting on their respective chances that gave the lead back to John Jay, 58-57. 
 
The back-and-forth scoring between the two teams continued as Jerome answered back with a jumper following a Stewart layup as the teams were pitted at 65 with 2:12 left to play. Watkins corralled the rebound on Kila's missed layup, his 14th of the evening, and finished the play as Stewart found him for baseline jumper that gave the home team a 67-65 edge with 1:36 remaining.  
York had a chance to tie the game but Jerome made one of two from the line. The loose ball was brought down by Nivar, who misfired on his layup chance before Kila grabbed the rebound and also missed on the layup chance before Isaac Holmes grabbed the rebound. 
 
Watkins sealed the game with his 20th point of the contest on a tough, right-handed layup over the York defender as the Bloodhounds hung on for the 69-66 win, the first of 2024 and first of the CUNYAC season. 
 
For the game, John Jay shot 37.5 percent from the field (24 of 64) while York converted on 38.6 percent (27 of 70). Both teams hit identical 29.2 percent from three-point range but the Bloodhounds capitalized from the free-throw line, hitting on 14 of 21 from the charity stripe while the Cardinals went 5 of 10. The Cardinals held a 48-42 edge on the boards, highlighted by a 16-12 edge on the offensive glass. 
 
John Jay will head to Hunter on Friday evening for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff, which follows the women's contest at 5:00 p.m. 

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