Box Score
JAMAICA, NY— The York College men’s basketball team erased a 15-point deficit en route to defeating Ramapo College, 72-66, in a non-conference match-up on Wednesday evening. After a sluggish start, York came out on fire in the second half, outscoring the Roadrunners 42-27 on their way to their fourth consecutive victory. The Cardinals also avenged a loss to Ramapo who defeated the Cardinals in the first round of last season’s NCAA Tournament.
Things looked bleak for the Cardinals early on as Ramapo controlled the tempo for most of the first half. A lay-up by Ramapo’s Tim Wesley gave the Roadrunners a 15-point advantage, 38-23, with 3:58 to play in the first half. York did however cut the lead to nine points going into halftime.
In the second half, York slowly cut into the lead until they finally got over the hump after a Chris Roberts (Jamaica, NY/ Springfield Gardens) lay-up gave the Cardinals a 56-55 lead with 4:45 to play. Two minutes later, York still held a narrow advantage, 61-59. However, lay-ups by Roberts and Jonathan Winns (Elmhurst, NY/ Newtown) and a free-throw by Michael Salamanca (Hollis, NY/ Cardozo) on consecutive possessions helped give York a comfortable seven point margin with: 56 seconds remaining.
Roberts finished with a team-high 17 points and eight rebounds. Salamanca recorded a double-double with 14 points and ten assists and Marcel Esonwune (Nigeria/ Marist Brothers) had 12 points and eight rebounds.
York (18-7) now heads into the City University of New York Athletic Conference Tournament. The Cardinals will host Lehman College in the quarterfinals at 1 p.m.
