(C)2024 GamedayPhotosNYC
55
Brooklyn Brook 11-11,7-4 CUNYAC
56
Winner John Jay JJC 8-14,6-5 CUNYAC
Brooklyn Brook
11-11,7-4 CUNYAC
55
Final
56
John Jay JJC
8-14,6-5 CUNYAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Brooklyn Brook 16 11 12 16 55
John Jay JJC 21 9 10 16 56

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

Zeolla's Last Second Block Lifts Women's Basketball Past Defending CUNYAC Champions, Brooklyn, 56-55

New York, NY - With 22 seconds left in regulation, senior guard Ashley Zeolla converted a pair of free-throws, giving John Jay a 56-55 lead. The visiting Brooklyn College Bulldogs called back-to-back timeouts. 

When play resumed, Ameea Daniel inbounded the ball that found the hands of Dior Dorsey, but Zeolla came soaring in for the rejection and also corralled the loose ball as the Bloodhounds held on for the one-point home triumph.



 
With the win, John Jay moves to 8-14 overall and 6-5 in CUNYAC play while Brooklyn falls to 11-11 on the year and 7-4 in league contests. This afternoon's triumph by the Bloodhounds' marks their first victory over Brooklyn since January 9, 2008, when they picked up a 57-49, road win in Brooklyn. Additionally, this is John Jay's first win against Brooklyn at The Doghouse since January 10, 2007, when they earned a 72-45 victory. 

Zeolla topped the 20-point plateau for the ninth time this season while registering her fourth double-double of the year, concluding the contest with a game-high 22 points. The Yorktown Heights, NY native converted 6 of 13 from the field while capitalizing at the free throw line, hitting 10 of 12, including two crucial free-throws in the later stages of the contest. She swiped three steals and finished with two blocks, which included the game-clincher. 

Michaela Lattimore added ten points and eight rebounds. Briana Minick chipped in eight points and grabbed seven boards. 

Three Bulldogs reached double-figures, led by Anna Kitch, who finished with 18 points on 5 of 11 shooting from the field, as she hit 5 of 10 from three-point range to go along with eight caroms. Daniel notched a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing a team and game-leading 14 boards. Alina Estrella was held to ten points, converting on 4 of 13 from the floor and 2 of 7 from long range in her 32 minutes of play.

Zeolla knocked in a pair of baskets that started the scoring for the Bloodhounds before the Bulldogs responded with a 14-7 run over the next 4:18 to take a 14-11 lead after a Daniel floating jumper. John Jay regained their composure, finishing the quarter a perfect 4 of 4 from the field in the final 42 seconds, as they staged a 10-2 run to take a 21-16 lead after Minick hit on a layup.  The Bloodhounds hit on 52.9 percent from the field in the opening ten minutes with Zeolla leading the way with eight points.

Minick opened the scoring in the second quarter before Estrella connected on two-straight buckets, as John Jay held a 23-21 advantage. Both teams struggled over the next 3:35 to find their rhythm from the field, before Edwards hit a pullup jumper off the feed from Lattimore. Daniel converted from the outside on the next Brooklyn possession, as the John Jay lead shrunk to one, 25-24. 

With two defenders swarming around her, Natalie Simonds hit a right-wing three pointer after finding room off a screen from Minick, as the lead jumped to four, 28-24, before Zeolla tacked on two more. Kitch hit what turned out to be the final made field goal of the quarter, a three, as John Jay took a 30-27 lead into the locker room. 

Lattimore and Simonds kicked started a 6-2 burst by the Bloodhounds to increase their lead to 36-29 as Lattimore was the benefactor of a Simonds' pass. The Bulldogs inched back on the strength of a 10-2 run, as Brooklyn hit 6 of 8 from the line to take a 39-36 lead before Lattimore stopped the momentum on a layup. 

With less than a second remaining, Zeolla continued her scoring prowess, hitting a floating jumper off the feed from Alexis Jones as the Bloodhound regained the lead, 40-39, entering the fourth quarter. 

Estrella hit on a three-pointer to give Brooklyn the lead back, 42-40. Zeolla knocked in two free-throws evened the score at 42. Off a Daniel miss, Essence Richardson banked home a layup on the left side, as John Jay went ahead by two. Richardson's basket contributed to John Jay scoring six of the nine points over the next 1:11 as Lattimore muscled her way for two in the paint after Hadja Bah sent a well-timed bounce pass to the Morristown, NJ native.

Brooklyn wouldn't go away, as they outscored John Jay, 10-6, over the next 3:31 in taking a 55-54 lead with 1:04 left to go in regulation. Following a Brooklyn timeout, Dorsey stole the ball away from Edwards.

With time winding down, Dorsey misfired on a jumper, but Daniel was there for the offensive board and immediately located Kitch, but she had the ball poked away by Zeolla along the sideline, as Kitch picked up the foul.

With 22 seconds showing on the scoreboard, Zeolla sank both her attempts, forcing Brooklyn to burn a timeout. When play resumed, the Bloodhounds ramped up the defensive intensity, as the Bulldogs couldn't find an option, and took their final timeout. Daniel inbounded the ball in front of the boisterous Doghouse faithful. Dorsey went around a pair of screens towards the corner, and received the pass, but Zeolla sprinted to the block and denied the shot as the Bloodhounds came away with their first victory over the defending league champions since 2009.

For the game, the Bloodhounds held Brooklyn to just 27.0 percent shooting from the field (20 of 74) while hitting on 41.2 percent. John Jay hit on 12 of 14 from the line, with Zeolla going 10 of 12. The Bloodhounds were also a +3 on the boards (44-41) despite being outrebounded on the offensive glass, 15-5.

John Jay gears up for their regular-season home finale on Wednesday, February 12 as they welcome Lehman College to The Doghouse. 

Prior to the start of the contest, the Bloodhounds will recognize their three senior student-athletes - Hadja Bah, Ayanna Edwards, and Ashley Zeolla.
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