WBBHuddleCUNYACSemis
62
John Jay JJC 12-15,9-5 CUNYAC
73
Winner Hunter Hunter 20-5,13-1 CUNYAC
John Jay JJC
12-15,9-5 CUNYAC
62
Final
73
Hunter Hunter
20-5,13-1 CUNYAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
John Jay JJC 9 16 22 15 62
Hunter Hunter 10 13 18 32 73

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

No. 4 Seeded Women's Basketball's Season Concludes In CUNYAC Semifinals To Top-Seed, Hunter

New York, NY - The No. 4 seeded John Jay women's basketball team held a 53-44 lead with 7:39 left in the fourth quarter of the 2025 CUNYAC Semifinals, but the No. 1 seed Hunter College erased the deficit and went on to defeat the Bloodhounds, 73-62.

John Jay, who started the year 2-10, finishes at 12-15 and 9-5 in league play. The Bloodhounds have reached the semifinals five times in eight years under head coach Lynda Day. Additionally, John Jay has made the last five semifinals, excluding 2020-21 (global pandemic). 

Hunter, who moves 20-5 on the season, will host Brooklyn in the CUNYAC Championship on Thursday from the Hunter Sportsplex.

Ashley Zeolla led the way for the Bloodhounds, finishing with a team-leading 22 points while converting on 12 of 15 from the free-throw. It marked her 12th 20-point performance of the season and 16th in her career. The Yorktown Heights, NY native pulled down nine rebounds, dished out two assists, and swiped two steals while playing 40 minutes.

Michaela Lattimore also reached double-figures, pouring in 14 points, and matched Zeolla with nine rebounds. Fresh off her seven-block performance in the quarterfinals, the sophomore forward rejected four shots and had two steals in 24 minutes of play. Ayanna Edwards chipped in seven points but filled the stat sheet, matching her career-high with eight assists, grabbing six rebounds, and adding a steal and a block in 36 minutes.

The Bloodhounds combined to pull down 49 rebounds, 32 on the defensive end.

Three Hawks finished in double-figures, led by Alexa Charles, who netted a game-high 25 points on 8 of 19 shooting despite being held to just 1 of 5 from long range. Charles hit 8 of 11 from the line while grabbing six rebounds, dishing out six helpers, three steals, and recording two blocks in 40 minutes of work. 

Kimberly Lau netted 12 points on 4 of 8 shooting, while Gianna Henriques was the third Hawk to score in double-digits, finishing with 10 points and a rebound shy of a double-double (9).

Zeolla hit one of two from the line to start the contest before both teams struggled to find their shooting range. Charles connected on the game's first made field goal at the 7:11 mark before Henriques added a layup to extend the lead to 4-1 in favor of Hunter. From there, the Bloodhounds scored eight of the 13 points, capped by an Alexis Jones stepback jumper that evened the game at 9-9. Eliah Yode made the backend of a two-shot foul as Hunter claimed a 10-9 advantage after the first quarter of play.

John Jay came out in the second quarter on a 10-3 run, capped by a Zeolla pull-up jumper in the paint off the feed from Essence Richardson, as the Bloodhounds held a 19-13 lead with 3:11 left to go before halftime. Erin Cosio hit a three-pointer before Lau banked in a layup as Hunter drew to within one, 19-18. Jones corralled the rebound off a missed three-pointer by Katie Burke. The ball swung around into the hands of Richardson, who calmly swished in a three, pushing John Jay's lead to 22-18.

Following a pair of made free-throws by Cosio, Richardson had the hot hand, hitting on another three-pointer, this time from the left wing as Zeolla drove the baseline and spotted Richardson, as John Jay claimed a 25-20 lead with 1:10 to play before halftime. Hunter scored the final three points of the stanza, but John Jay entered the break with a 25-23 lead.

The shooting percentages by both teams improved in the quarter while John Jay continued to win the battle of the boards, outmuscling the Hawks, 14-9, in the quarter and 27-21 after 20 minutes of play.

Henriques opened the scoring in the third quarter for Hunter, backing into the paint and finishing with a layup that evened the contest at 25-25. Lattimore misfired on her layup attempt but found Edwards open for a three-pointer as the visitors regained the lead, 28-25. Edwards' triple ignited a 9-2 run over the next 2:16 as John Jay's lead swelled to seven, 34-27, as Zeolla made one of two from the line. Hunter answered back with an 8-3 run of their own, as Burke's triple closed the deficit to two, 37-35, with 3:42 left in the third quarter. 

Edwards, who started the run, put a halt in Hunter's burst, hitting a pull-up, left-handed jumper, giving the Bloodhounds a 39-35 edge. The Bloodhounds continued to give Hunter fits, staging an 8-4 run that elevated the lead to 47-39 following a pair of makes from Zeolla at the line.

Hunter struggled, only converting 1 of 5 from the field during the 3:11 run, while the Bloodhounds hit on 2 of 4 and a perfect 4 of 4 from the line before Charles beat the third-quarter buzzer with a layup as the Bloodhound led 47-41. 

John Jay took their largest lead of the game, 53-44, as Natalie Simonds completed the three-point play at the line after banking home a contested layup in the paint. The Hawks staged a 9-0 run over the next 2:28, hitting on 4 of 6 from the floor as Hunter tied the game at 53 thanks to a Cosio layup.

Makkedah Murray was the catalyst with five of the nine points. The Bloodhounds misfired on their three attempts during the run while committing three turnovers.

Lattimore made one of two from the line that gave the Bloodhounds a short lead, 54-53 before Henriques converted on the other end for Hunter. Zeolla put her team in front, 56-55, after netting two more from the line. Charles scored for Hunter with a layup off the feed from Lau, as Hunter went ahead, 57-56, with 2:48 left in regulation.
Lau hit two straight buckets for the Hawks, increasing their lead to 61-56 with 1:48 left before Zeolla netted her 20th point of the game, a layup off the pass from Edwards. 

Charles scored 10 of the final 12 points for Hunter, going 6 of 6 from the line as the Hawks finished the game on a 12-4 run. 

John Jay shot 33.3 percent from the field and converted close to 30.0 percent from three-point range. The Bloodhounds defense stifled the Hawks from long distance, as Hunter only hit on 4 of 24 from the outside.

The Bloodhounds held a 49-38 advantage on the boards. Hunter capitalized on John Jay's mishaps, turning 22 turnovers into 19 points, and held a 36-22 in points in the paint.
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