Jamaica, NY - Trailing 51-50 at halftime, the No. 5 seed and defending CUNYAC men's basketball champions, the John Jay College Bloodhounds, staged a 22-15 run midway through the second half to take an 85-79 lead with 3:23 remaining in regulation. The No. 4 seed York Cardinals rattled off five straight points to get to within one, 85-84, with just 14 seconds remaining.
A missed free-throw from Jaiden Johnson gave the Bloodhounds a chance to add to their lead. Senior
Jamir Stewart sank one of two from the line, missing the backend, as the Cardinals had a chance to tie the score on a driving layup, but
Aidony Nivar, who started his collegiate journey at York, came up with a timely rejection, sealing the win for the Bloodhounds, 86-84, in the 2026 CUNYAC Quarterfinals.
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With the victory, the Bloodhounds (10-16; 7-7 CUNYAC) move on to the semifinals, where they will square off against the top-seed, Lehman College, in a rematch of last season's semifinal match. The Cardinals finish the year at 8-14 and 8-6 in league contests.
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Three Bloodhounds finished in double-figures, led by Stewart, who produced his 22nd career 20-point performance, finishing with a team-high 25 points on 7 of 11 shooting from the field, while hitting on 5 of 8 from three-point range and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line.
Keyshawn Miller filled up the statsheet, tallying 18 points on 7 of 13 from the field, while grabbing 11 rebounds, nine on the defensive end. The Yonkers, NY native dished out a team-high five assists, six steals, and rejected two shots while playing the full 40 minutes. Nivar registered 15 points on 5 of 12 shooting while dishing out three assists, grabbing two rebounds, and coming up with the game-clinching block to help John Jay advance to the semifinals.Â
Four Cardinals scored in double-figures, led by Joshua Jackman, who tallied a team-high 24 points on 9 of 15 shooting from the field and recorded a double-double, finishing with 13 rebounds. Â
Jonte Wallace added 16 points on 7 of 18 shooting while grabbing nine rebounds, dishing out seven assists, recording six steals, and adding a block in 40 minutes of work. Gozie Chinegwundoh notched 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting, while Malakai Clark chipped in 12 points.
The Bloodhounds fell behind 5-3 following a three-pointer from Chinegwundoh, but went on an 11-6 run to take a 14-11 lead following a driving layup from Stewart. The Cardinals answered back, outscoring tthe Bloodhounds, 25-13, over the next eight minutes, taking a 36-27 advantage as York converted on 10 of 15 from the field with Jackman notching 13 points.
The two teams traded points over the remainder of the half, with John Jay closing out the first half on a 23-15 spurt, but Clark sank a pair of free throws to give York a 51-50 halftime lead. Both teams shot over 50.0 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, with York holding a 21-13 edge on the boards, highlighted by a 9-3 margin on the offensive glass.
When play resumed for the second half, the Cardinals raced out to an 8-2 run, increasing their lead to 59-52 on a Wallace driving layup. The Bloodhounds answered back with a 9-0 burst, taking a 61-59 advantage as Stewart drove the lane for his 21st point of the game.
York staged a 15-9 run, reclaiming a 74-70 lead as Christopher Smith converted the three-point play with 10:17 remaining in regulation. On the ensuing Bloodhound possession,
Alsseny Diallo converted on a layup to halt the Cardinal run.
A miss by Smith opened the door for the Bloodhounds to seize control as Stewart drilled a three-pointer to regain the lead, 75-74. John Jay scored ten of the next 15 points over a near six-minute span to take an 85-79 lead, as Diallo converted on a pair from the line.
York fought back with five straight points as Johnson made the front end of a two-shot foul, as the Cardinals were down 85-84 with 14 seconds to go. Stewart was fouled and made the first free-throw, but subsequently missed the second as Jackman grabbed the rebound and called for time.
When play resumed, Wallace regained his dribble and tried to muscle his way inside. He attempted to go up-and-under; however, he faced up at the rim for a turnaround jumper that was deflected by the waiting arms of Nivar, who secured the loose ball and the win to send the Bloodhounds back to the semifinals.
For the game, John Jay shot 53.6 percent from the field while hitting on 47.4 percent from the outside. The Cardinals, who converted on 47.0 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from three-point range, held a 38-32 edge on the boards, including a 15-7 on the offensive end.
John Jay and Lehman will square off on Tuesday, February 24 at 6:00 p.m.
