JAMAICA, N.Y.—Despite leading by as many as 15 points in the first half, the York College women's basketball team could not hold on for the win, as Hunter College rallied in the second half to defeat York, 73-63, on Friday night.
 
Hunter's Kristen Markoe helped bring the Hawks back with a dominant performance.  She finished with 38 points on 11-of-20 shooting, made all five of her shots from beyond the arc and also grabbed ten rebounds.  In addition, 26 of her 38 points came in the second half. 
 
York looked to be in control thanks to a solid first half where they shot 50 percent from the field, while holding Hunter to just 35 percent shooting.  A 10-0 York run, which featured a pair of Tamika Taylor three-pointers, helped give York its 15-point lead with 4:42 left in the opening half.  Hunter cut into the lead a bit before halftime, but the Cardinals still held a sizeable 11-point advantage (38-27).
 
But things went south for York in the second half.  They shot just 28.6 percent, while Hunter caught fire, shooting 60 percent.  Hunter gradually chipped into York's lead and the momentum began to shift the Hawks way.  With York holding on to a one-point, 60-59 advantage, the Hawks quickly went on a 9-1 run to go up by seven points (68-61) just 2:18 to play.  York could never recover from there.
 
In the loss, York was led by Taylor, who had 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Samantha Bond and Angelika Ruggiano each chipped in 14 points, with Ruggiano adding six assists and three steals.
 
The loss drops York's record to 3-9, 2-4 CUNYAC.  Hunter improves to 5-8, 3-3 CUNYAC.  The Cardinals return to action on Monday with a home game against the United States Merchant Marine Academy at 7 p.m.