JAMAICA, N.Y.—The York College women's basketball team was narrowly beaten by Baruch College, 74-72, in a CUNY Athletic Conference match-up that had playoff implications for both teams.
 
York came in one game behind Baruch for the sixth and final playoff spot. A win would have put them in a tie for the sixth spot.  Instead the Cardinals now sit two games behind Baruch with the Bearcats having also swept the season series.
 
Karen Bellamy had another big performance for York, scoring 33 points (her second 30+ performance of the year), while adding 11 rebounds and two steals.  Allison Ahmed added 13 points and nine rebounds off the bench.
 
Baruch was led by Melinda Spahiu, who scored 24 points with 11 rebounds.  Shannon Barrett scored 16 points and had 11 rebounds.
 
After losing to Baruch by double digits in their previous meeting this season, York looked a lot stronger in this one. They held a 16-10 advantage after the first quarter of play after holding the Bearcats to just 20 percent shooting.  However, the Bearcats regrouped in the second quarter and moved ahead by two points at the half.
 
Baruch started to get some separation in the second half, after a 9-2 run pushed their lead to 11 points.  In the fourth quarter, York started to chip away at the lead and cut the deficit to just two points (67-65) after consecutive buckets from Ahmed and Bellamy with just 2:23 to play.  With just under a minute to play, York had a chance to tie the game, but a Bellamy three-pointer was off the mark.  The Cardinals were then forced to foul and Baruch was able to ice the game with free throws.
 
With the loss, York is now 4-12, 2-7 CUNYAC, while Baruch is 4-10, 4-5 CUNYAC.  The Cardinals will host Medgar Evers on Monday at 5:30 p.m.