York Got 24 Points & 12 Rebounds from Chris Roberts (Photo Verity Rollins)
Box Score
NEW YORK, NY— The York College men’s basketball team moved one step closer to their third consecutive CUNY Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) Championship on Tuesday by defeating Hunter College, 89-77, in the CUNYAC semi-finals. Chris Roberts was one of five Cardinals to reach double-digits in points, leading York with 24 points and 12 rebounds. The Cardinals (20-7) also notched their 20th win of the season as they reached that plateau for their first time since the 1996-97 season when they finished with 21.
Hunter (13-14) was hot in the early going, hitting two three pointers and another bucket on its first three possessions to take an 8-2 lead. The Hawks would take an 11-4 lead before York rallied with an 8-0 run take a 12-11 lead with 14:23 to play in the first half. Roberts netted four points during the run.
After York took a 14-12 lead, the Hawks once again connected on consecutive three-pointers. Marlon Smith and Gerard Ciarleglio each made a three-pointer to take an 18-14 lead with 10:45 to play in the first half. However, 1:45 later, with Hunter still holding a 20-17 lead, the Cardinals caught fire, going on a 14-0 run over a five minute span to take a 33-21 advantage. Aaron Wilson was the key contributor for York, scoring eight points during the run. The Hawks did close the gap during the final minutes of the first half. A three-pointer by Smith as time expired cut York’s advantage to 40-32 at halftime.
In the second half, the Cardinals fell victim to foul trouble and the Hawks took advantage. Early in the second half, center Marcel Esonwune picked up his third foul and a few minutes later Wilson was charged with his fourth. The Hawks responded with a 7-0 run that was capped off by a Michael Dodd three-pointer which cut York’s lead to 46-42 with 14:33 remaining.
After a Cardinal timeout, a Michael Salamanca three-pointer put an end to the run and gave York a, more comfortable, 49-42 advantage. Despite being in foul trouble, York was not only able to hold off Hunter, but they extend their lead to 59-46 with 10:13 to play. Roberts and Omari Phipps led the charge for York, scoring six points and four points respectively during the stretch.
“We made some defensive adjustments after we got into foul trouble,” said York head coach Ronald St. John. “The guys we put in there held up for 3-4 minutes until we could get Wilson and Esonwune back out there.”
Hunter then got into foul trouble of its own when senior Michael Dodd was called for his fifth foul, a charge, with 8:35 to play. Despite the loss of Dodd to foul trouble, Hunter battled and cut the lead to 70-65 after a Smith jumper with 4:32 to play. The Cardinals would not be denied however and responded with nine unanswered points to go up 79-65 with 2:51 to play. That run would prove to be the nail in the coffin for the Hawks as York held on in the final two minutes, winning by a 12-point margin.
“They made several runs at us, but we handled each and every one of them,” added St. John. “We did what we had to do as defending champions to get the job done. I commend our team for getting the job done.”
For York, Phipps scored 19 points and grabbed seven boards, while Esonwune recorded his fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 15 points and ten rebounds. Wilson added 15 points, while Salamanca finished with 13 points and five assists.
Despite the loss, Smith put together a phenomenal effort for Hunter, netting a game-high 40 points. Frantz Millien also recorded a double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds.
“My hat goes off to Marlon Smith. He’s an excellent, smart player,” noted St. John.
York will now face John Jay College on Friday at 7:45 p.m. The game will be held at the City College of New York (CCNY) located on 138th street and Convent Avenue. Tickets are free but are first-come first serve. Those who are interested in obtaining tickets should stop by the Athletic Office in the Health & Physical Education Building at York College. For directions go to http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/prospective/about/directions.cfm.
The game will also be aired on live on CUNY TV (Time Warner Ch. 199) throughout the five boroughs. Live stats and streaming audio will also be available through the CUNY Athletic conference website at http://cunyathletics.com/Sports/mbasket/2008/08tourney.asp.
