New York, NY - The John Jay women's basketball team held its largest lead on Saturday on the road at Baruch, 57-43 after three quarters, but the Bloodhounds were outscored 33-14 in the fourth quarter, as Baruch converted ten straight free throws over the final thirty seconds of the contest to edge the Bloodhounds, 76-71.

Three Bloodhounds finished in double-figures, led by Michaela Lattimore, who notched her eighth straight double-double and 11th of the season as the Morristown, NJ native scored a team-high 22 points on 11 of 14 shooting from the field while grabbing 17 rebounds in 28 minutes of action.

Briana Minick added 15 points, seven rebounds, and a career-high seven steals. Natalie Simonds added ten points, five rebounds, five assists, four steals, and a block in her 30 minutes of action.

Baruch was paced by Lola Idir and Lilliana Morales, who each registered a double-double. Idir finished with a game-high 28 points on 5 of 11 shooting while connecting on 4 of 7 from three-point range, going 14 of 14 from the free-throw line, and added 12 rebounds. Morales tallied 14 points on 6 of 14 shooting from the floor while pulling down a team-high 15 rebounds. Brianna Lopez finished with 16 points in 21 minutes, as 12 of her 16 points came from the free-throw line (12 of 16).

Both teams exchanged baskets over the early portion of the quarter. Following a Minick layup, Baruch took a four-point lead, 12-8, capped by a Lola De Luka jumper. Lattimore continued her scoring prowess, scoring her eighth point of the contest to bring John Jay within two, before Minick tied the score at 12 with a floating jumper in the paint. The visitors closed out the frame on a 5-0 run, as Simonds connected on a jumper as John Jay led 17-12.

Baruch opened the second quarter with back-to-back scores from Lopez and Isabella Kostyal-Larrier, which ignited an 8-2 run, giving the Bearcats a 20-19 lead.  John Jay responded with a 12-3 burst that spanned the rest of the second quarter as the Bloodhounds extended their lead to 33-23 following a layup from Miah Crockett with forty-four seconds left to play in the first half. Morales made one of two before the teams returned to the locker room as John Jay led 33-24 at the break.

John Jay carried that momentum into the second half, as Minick, Bryan Bascones, and Lattimore started the scoring for the visitors in the third quarter, as the Bloodhounds extended their lead to 15, 39-24. Baruch battled back, cutting the deficit down six, 43-37, with 4:53 left in the third. The Bloodhounds finished the quarter on a 14-6 run, increasing their lead to 57-43 after shooting close to 40.0 percent from the field in the quarter.

Lattimore's layup at the 8:37 mark pushed John Jay's lead back to 13, 59-46. The Bearcats began their comeback, using a 17-2 run to regain the lead, 63-61, following a three-pointer from Idir. Lattimore tied the score to end the run. On the ensuing John Jay possession, Bascones converted on a baseline jumper that gave the lead back to the visitors, 65-63. Lopez hit three of four free throws to once again provide the home team a slim lead, 66-65.
Lattimore was able to convert in the paint, as John Jay regained the lead, 67-66, before Simonds added a jumper with 36 seconds remaining.

On Baruch's next possession, Lattimore was charged with a foul, and a subsequent technical foul was assessed, as Baruch was awarded four free throws, taken by Lopez and Idir. The duo hit on their attempts as Baruch took a 70-69 lead.

Crockett fouled Idir going for the steal, sending her to the line for the fourth time in 15 seconds as she sank her chances, giving the home team a three-point edge, 72-69.

Following a John Jay timeout, Minick was able to cruise the lane and make a layup with 12 seconds to go. The Bloodhounds forced a turnover from Morales, as she couldn't corral the cross-court pass from her teammate, giving John Jay another shot.

Minick created space on the wing and fired up a three, but was offline. Kailani Galan tracked the loose ball and found Crockett, but her triple was off target. Simonds grabbed the rebound but turned the ball over. With just one second remaining, Simonds fouled Idir and was charged with the personal foul, and it was subsequently upgraded to a flagrant foul, giving Baruch four free throws, as Idir made all four to seal the win.

For the game, the Bloodhounds shot 31.8 percent (28 of 88) while Baruch converted 33.9 percent (21 of 62). John Jay was outrebounded by ten on the boards, 59-49. The Bloodhounds forced 37 Baruch turnovers and scored 34 points from those mishaps, to go along with 19 second-chance points.

John Jay returns home to The Doghouse on Wednesday, January 14, as they welcome the Medgar College Cougars at 6:00 p.m.