NEW YORK, N.Y. – The York College women's basketball team held off a late rally by the City College of New York and defeated the Beavers, 62-55, in CUNYAC action Friday evening.
 
The win puts the Cardinals atop the CUNYAC standings, with a 2-0 record in conference play.  York is 3-5 overall.  CCNY drops to 1-5 overall and 0-2 in the CUNYAC.
 
The Cardinals were in control for the majority of the first half of action, starting with an 11-point run that turned an early 4-0 deficit to an 11-4 lead after just over five minutes of play. Shanelle Baldwin led the early attack, collecting 6 of those 11 points to put York ahead. The Beavers didn't let the game get out of hand, as they came back and tied the game at 15 after Liz Durchalter nailed a 3-pointer with 10:10 remaining in the half.
 
The Beavers would never gain the lead back, as the Cardinals outscored them 14-8 in the final 10 minutes of the half, taking a 29-23 lead into the locker rooms.
 
Angelika Ruggiano led the Cardinals with 8 points in the opening half, most of which came from foul shots, as she made 6-7 from the line. Baldwin and Shauncia McClendon both added 6 points to the score in the half.
 
The second half started well for the Cardinals, as they opened their lead up to a game-high 11 points after Ruggiano put in a layup with 13:18 left to play in the game, bringing the score to 42-31.
 
However, the Beavers stormed back, as they went on a 12-2 run in just under six minutes of action, cutting the York lead to just one single point with the score being 44-43. With the score being so close, the Cardinals had to step up their game. A layup and a clutch 3-pointer from Samantha Bond gave the Cardinals a little breathing room, but the Beavers wouldn't go away, as the two teams battled back and forth until CCNY managed to tie the score at 53-53 with just 2:25 seconds remaining in the game.
 
The score would remain the same until Ruggiano put a layup in with 55 seconds left on the clock.  She would also hit four free throws in the final minute to seal the win for Cardinals.  
 
Ruggiano finished with a game-high 20 points, while Bond added 14 and McClendon netted 12 for the Cardinals. The Beavers were led by Kerniesha Williams, as she scored 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the losing effort.
 
The Beavers struggled to keep possession of the ball, as they turned the ball over 23 times, which led to 22 points for the Cardinals.
 
The Cardinals will play their next game at home on Tuesday, December 9th, against Lehman College at 6:00 pm.