New York, NY - The John Jay men's basketball team opened up the contest on Friday evening against Hunter on a 7-0 run but squandered the lead as the Hawks defeated the Bloodhounds, 87-76. 

With the loss, John Jay falls to 5-9 overall and 1-2 in CUNYAC play while the Hawks are also 5-9 but 2-1 in league play. 

Junior Isaac Holmes led all scorers with a career-high 30 points on 11 of 15 shooting from the field that included 4 of 7 from three-point range in 38 minutes of play. 

Garrison Watkins notched his 14th career double-double and fourth of the season, as the Staten Island native finished with 18 points and tied his season-high 14 rebounds. 

TJ Chisolm added 11 points on 3 of 6 shooting from three-point range while dishing out a team-best eight assists and grabbed five rebounds. 

Four Hawks finished in double figures, led by Jack Meyers, who tallied 18 points on 7 of 13 shooting and 4 of 5 marksmanship from three-point range in his 29 minutes of action. 

Kareem McDonald added 17 points. Luka Jakic notched a double-double, contributing 16 points and a team-high 14 rebounds in his 33 minutes. 

Former Bloodhound Corey Jones Jr. rounded out the double digit scoring performances for the Hawks as he finished with 11 points. 

The visitors got out to the fast start but were answered with a 18-5 run by the Hawks, as Hunter claimed a 18-12 lead following a Jakic layup. 

The Hawks converted on 7 of 8 from the field while draining all four attempts from long distance in holding the Bloodhounds to just 2 of 7 during the four minute span. 

Hunter continued to control the tempo of the contest, outscoring the Bloodhounds 22-14 over the next 7:51, in taking a 40-26 lead after Casey Meyers on both attempts from the line with 5:25 showing on the clock before halftime.  

The Hawks scored eight of the final 15 points in the first half, taking a 48-33 lead into the break. 

Hunter shot a robust 60.7 percent from the field in the opening half, converting on 17 of 28 from the floor and 9 of 16 from three-point range (56.3 percent). 

The Hawks took their largest lead of the contest 53-33 with McDonald hitting from the outside. 

With 10:33 remaining in regulation, the Bloodhounds trailed 70-53, and were soon on the verge of a comeback of their own. 

John Jay put together an 18-9 run over the next five minutes to get to within eight, 79-71, as the Bloodhounds hit on 7 of 8 from the floor, with Holmes leading the charge, scoring half of the points while Adrian Kopec chipped in five. 

Watkins cruised across the lane and buried the hook shot in the paint that trimmed the deficit to single digits. Hunter closed out the contest with eight of the final 13 points in preserving the 87-76 win. 

Both teams hit on their chances from the field, with John Jay finishing the contest shooting 45.0 percent (27 of 60) while Hunter ended the game at 52.5 percent (31 of 59). 

In the second half, the Bloodhounds found their stride, converting on 51.6 percent from the floor (16 of 31) and 57.1 percent from long distance (4 of 7). Hunter's three-point shooting display propelled them to the win, as they hit on 13 of 26 from the outside to John Jay's 9 of 19. 

Both teams finished with 36 rebounds while Hunter capitalized on 12 Bloodhound turnovers, which resulted in 14 points for the Hawks. 

The Bloodhounds close out their roadtrip on Wednesday, January 10 at Baruch with tipoff slated for 7:30 p.m.