Bronx, NY - The John Jay women's basketball team cut Lehman's lead to six with 8:15 left to play in the fourth quarter 52-46, but the comeback attempt was stifled as the Lightning used a 14-0 run over the next 4:25 to put the game away as the Bloodhounds dropped the regular season finale, 67-50, on Tuesday evening from The Apex Center.
With tonight's results, John Jay finishes the regular season at 10-15 overall and 8-6 in CUNYAC play while Lehman concludes the year at 15-10 and 10-4 in league play. Both teams will be part of the quarterfinal round: John Jay will be the No. 4 seed and host the No. 5 seed, Baruch, which defeated CCNY this evening, while the Lightning earn the No. 3 seed and will host the No. 6 seed, the Beavers. Both games will commence on Saturday afternoon.
Brooklyn College finished the regular season undefeated at 14-0 and will have a first-round bye, while Hunter College finished second at 11-3 and will receive the second bye.
For the 18th straight game and 21st time in her career, junior forward
Michaela Lattimore recorded a double-double, as the Morristown, NJ native tallied 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting while collecting a game-high 18 rebounds, 15 of those coming on the defensive end. She filled up the stat sheet, adding a block, an assist, and a steal in her 29 minutes of action.
Alexis Jones was the second Bloodhound to score in double-figures, as the Sewell, NJ native tallied ten points, eight of which came from the free-throw line in 11 chances in her 20 minutes of action.
Lehman had three players score in double-figures, led by Emily Kennedy, who came an assist shy of a triple-double, finishing the contest with 18 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists while shooting 7 of 13 from the field in 37 minutes of action. Kennedy added five steals and two blocks for Lehman. Heaven Figueroa also came within a grasp of a triple-double as well, as Figueroa tallied 16 points on 6 of 17 shooting, while recording ten steals and eight rebounds. She added three blocks and an assist, logging 40 minutes of play. Sage Fanelli chipped in 12 points on 4 of 18 shooting while dishing out five assists in 38 minutes of play.
The Bloodhounds jumped out to a 7-0 lead as Lattimore netted four points and
Essence Richardson connected on a three-pointer off the feed from Lattimore. The Lightning came storming back in the contest, sparking an 18-5 run of their own in taking a six-point lead following a layup from Kennedy with 2:08 remaining in the first quarter. Lehman closed out the first quarter, scoring eight of the final 13 points of the frame, and held a 26-17 advantage.
Similar to the first quarter, John Jay staged an 8-2 burst to cut the deficit to three, 28-25, following a Lattimore layup with 4:48 remaining in the second quarter. The Bloodhounds held the Lighting to just a 1 of 9 shooting display during the 4:24 span. Lehman answered back with an 11-2 run that closed out the first half, as the Lightning went 5 of 7 from the field, with Figueroa and Kennedy combining for seven of the 11 points. Fangelli converted on a layup with just 28 seconds showing on the clock as the Lightning took a 39-27 lead into the break.
The Bloodhounds were held to just 29.0 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes while Lehman connected on 38.1 percent. The Bloodhounds held a 31-19 edge on the boards as Lattimore notched 11 points and 12 rebounds heading into the halftime break. The two teams traded baskets when play resumed for the second half, despite Lehman going ahead by 12, 46-34, on an Isabela Araujo layup with 5:30 remaining in the stanza. The Bloodhounds began to mount their comeback attempt, finishing the quarter with seven of the final 11 points, as
Miah Crockett converted on a layup chance as time was expiring, as John Jay trailed 50-41.
John Jay opened the fourth with a purpose, trimming the deficit further, as
Briana Minick banked in a layup that brought the visitors to within two possessions at 52-46. Lehman regained the momentum, staging a 14-0 run over the next 4:25 in building a 66-46 lead following a pair of free throws from Figueroa. The Bloodhounds fought to the final whistle, hitting on 4 of 6 from the line over the final 24 seconds, but Lehman held on for the victory.
For the contest, the Bloodhounds converted 28.1 percent from the field while only connecting on one three-pointer in 13 chances. The Bloodhounds held a significant margin on the boards, 56-44. The Bloodhounds committed 32 turnovers, which the Lightning turned into 28 points.
Saturday's contest against Baruch will be the third time the teams have met, with both winning on the other's home court this season.
Tip-off is slated for 1:00 p.m. and will be streamed on the Bloodhound Sports Network.
