Albany, NY - The John Jay men's basketball team opened 2026 with their final non-conference match of the season, traveling to Russell Sage College. The Bloodhounds trailed by eight at halftime, 48-40, and got to within three, 80-77, with 3:11, but couldn't complete the comeback, falling 93-87 on Thursday afternoon.

Keyshawn Miller led all scorers with 27 points on 8 of 13 shooting from the field while converting 3 of 4 from three-point range and 7 of 8 from the line. Miller also distributed five assists and swiped five steals in 30 minutes. Jamir Stewart, fresh off hitting his 1,000th career point at NYU, went for 24 points on 5 of 12 shooting, with all five field goals coming from three-point range. The Baldwin, NY native hit on 9 of 10 from the free-throw line in his 32 minutes of play.

Newcomer Aidony Nivar and Amare Jordan each finished with 11 points on a combined 8 of 14 shooting from the field, with Nivar hitting 2 of 4 from the outside and adding three assists.

Russell Sage had four players finish in double figures, led by 26 from Pape Tunkara, as he converted 8 of 13 from the floor, 3 of 4 from the outside, and 7 of 8 from the line. He added three rebounds, five assists, and five steals in 30 minutes. Brandon Harris netted 16 points while Kyle Dhu and Khalel Noteman each scored 10 points. Ben Aprilante corralled a team-high 12 rebounds.

The Gators got off to a fast start, opening the contest on a 9-0 run before Myles Tucker knocked in John Jay's first points of the contest. The Bloodhounds answered back with a 13-6 run to tie the game at 15 as Nivar converted from the outside with a triple. John Jay continued to fight back, cutting the deficit to one, 22-21, on a Miller fast-break layup after Miller was able to steal the ball away from Dhu. 

The two teams continued to trade baskets before Sage closed out the first half on a 26-18 run to take a 48-40 lead at the break. Miller hit a three-pointer for the visitors with eight seconds left in the stanza. The Bloodhounds shot 51.7 percent (15 of 29) in the opening half while converting on 40 percent from the outside (6 of 15). The Gators converted on 45.0 percent from the floor (18 of 40) while hitting 50.0 percent from three-point range (5 of 10).

Russell Sage sparked a 6-0 run to start the second half to extend their lead to 54-40. The Bloodhounds scored 12 of the following 17 points to chip into the Gators' lead, as a three-pointer from Stewart brought John Jay's deficit down to seven, 59-52 at the 13:35 mark.

The Gators continued to extend their lead, thanks to a 13-7 run to increase their lead back to double-digits, 72-59, with 9:00 left in regulation. The visitors answered valiantly, as Miller hit a three-pointer that kicked-started the 18-8 run, as Stewart capped the spurt with a three of his own, as John Jay trailed 80-77.

The Bloodhounds fouled Tunkara, who made one of two from the line, and Tunkara also stole the ball away as Russell Sage went back up by six, 83-77, with 2:25 left to go. The Gators added a three-pointer from Mikey Steward, which extended the lead. 

Free-throw shooting was on the side of the Bloodhounds as they hit five straight from the line to keep it a two-possession game with just 35 seconds remaining. Russell Sage hit on their attempts from the line to push their lead back up to double-digits, 92-82, with 23 seconds.

Stewart was fouled attempting a three-pointer and made all three from the line to trim the Gators' lead down to six, 93-87. With just eight seconds, Noteman missed both free throw attempts, as Tucker collected the rebound and outletted the pass to Stewart, who had a chance to make a one-possession game late, but misfired on his three-pointer attempt as Sage held on for the win.

For the game, the Bloodhounds converted 45.6 percent from the field (26 of 57) while hitting on 41.9 percent from the outside (13 of 31). Russell Sage shot 46.3 percent (31 of 67) and 50.0 percent from long distance (8 of 16).

The defending CUNYAC champions return home on Wednesday, January 7, as the Bloodhounds resume conference play against Hunter at 8:00 p.m.