New York, NY - The John Jay women's basketball team held their largest lead against the visiting WestConn Wolves, 41-23, at the 7:06 mark of the third quarter before the visitors came roaring back with a 17-3 run to cut the deficit down to four, 44-40 with 1:27 left in the third and outscored the Bloodhounds, 19-13 over nine minutes to take a 59-57 lead, which propelled the visitors to a 69-59 win over the home team.
 
John Jay (2-3) had two players record double-doubles as senior guard Ashley Zeolla finished with a team-leading 14 points and 12 rebounds in 34 minutes of play. Sophomore Michaela Lattimore notched 13 points and a game-high 16 rebounds, ten coming on the defensive end.
 
This marked Zeolla's ninth career double-double and first of the season, while Lattimore recorded her fourth double-double of the year, giving her eight for her two-year Bloodhound career thus far.
 
The last time a pair of teammates had a double-double in the same contest came a year ago when Lattimore and John Jay alum Kamryn Hammond each posted one against York back on February 12, with Hammond going for 19 points and ten rebounds while Lattimore had 15 points and ten rebounds.
 
Freshman Briana Minick finished one point shy of joining Zeolla and Lattimore with a double-double as the Norristown, PA native finished with nine points and a career-best 13 rebounds in 22 minutes.
 
Three Wolves finished in double-figures, led by Xiomara Soto, who tallied a game-best 18 points. Gianna Castellano notched 17 points on 7 of 16 shooting while grabbing seven boards and dishing out six helpers.
 
Nia Rencher, the younger sister of John Jay women's basketball alum Jada Rencher, scored 14 points on 5 of 7 shooting while grabbing eight boards in 21 minutes.
 
Both teams exchanged points, with the lead by either squad not going over two points. Rencher hit a pair of free throws just before the first quarter ended, giving WestConn a 16-15 edge.
 
The Bloodhounds erupted on an 11-1 run to open the second quarter, as John Jay led 26-17, capped by a jumper from Minick.  During the run, the Bloodhounds held the visitors without a field goal in ten chances while the Wolves only hit on 1 of 6 from the free-throw line, one made by Rencher.
 
The visitors closed the second quarter, scoring six of the final ten points. John Jay held a 30-23 lead, and Minick buried a jumper with eight seconds left in the frame.
 
For the half, the Bloodhounds held the visitors to just 22.9 percent shooting from the field (7 of 31) while both teams struggled from the outside, shooting a combined 2 of 17. John Jay cleaned up on the glass, outrebounding WestConn 35-22, which included a 17-8 margin on the offense side.
 
John Jay opened the third on an 11-0 run, capped by a four-point play from Natalie Simonds, who banked the three-pointer right in front of the John Jay bench, upping the lead to 41-23.
 
The Wolves flipped the momentum in their favor, staging a 17-3 run that spanned nearly six minutes, as they closed the gap to four, 44-40, at the 1:27 mark. Castellano was the catalyst, scoring nine of the 17 points while the team collectively hit on 7 of 11 from the field and held John Jay to just 1 of 11 while forcing five turnovers.
 
John Jay rebounded to close the quarter on a mini 6-2 spurt, with Alexis Jones hitting five of the six points as the Bloodhounds pushed the lead to eight, 50-42.
 
WestConn completed their comeback on the heels of a 17-7 run, as Soto's three-pointer gave the Wolves a 59-57 lead. Virtue stripped Zeolla of the ball, and Rencher hit the layup as the WestConn lead expanded to four, 61-57, with 2:07 remaining in regulation.
 
Minick drove the lane and put up a chance that Virtue swatted away, but Lattimore was there for the rebound but couldn't put home the layup opportunity.
Rencher added another bucket that gave WestConn a six-point advantage, and the visitors didn't look back, scoring six of the final eight points for the victory.
 
In the second half, the Wolves outscored the Bloodhounds 46-29 while limiting the home team to just 26.3 percent shooting and committing 12 turnovers while turning those mishaps into nine points. WestConn outscored John Jay 27-9 in the final frame.
 
For the game, John Jay was held to 28.6 percent shooting from the field (22 of 77), while WestConn converted on 34.8 percent (23 of 66).
 
The Bloodhounds pulled 63 rebounds, holding a 29-17 edge on the offensive glass. The 63 rebounds are tied for Division III's 18th-highest team total.  
 
John Jay closes their three-game homestand on Tuesday, November 26, for Homecoming as they welcome Amherst to The Doghouse at 5:00 p.m.