JAMAICA, NY --- (www.YORKATHLETICS.com) York College women's basketball jumped ahead early Friday night but were unable to hold on for the win, falling 70-63 to the Hunter College Hawks (13-11, 8-5 CUNYAC) in a CUNYAC matchup on Alumni Appreciation / Senior Day inside York College Gymnasium. The Cardinals split the season series with the Hawks, winning 63-55 on the road in their previous meeting in January. 

Prior to opening tip, seniors Mac-Dege Dessources (2018-23), Ellma Hodzic (2018-23), Aminata Sagna (2018-23) and Kristina Sierra (2018-23) were honored for their dedication to York College Athletics.

How it Happened

• Hunter took a 9-6 lead at the 7:05 mark of the first frame. 
• York closed the quarter on an 11-2 run, taking a six-point advantage after the first quarter. 
• Erin Cosio's triple with 6:09 left in the second quarter concluded a 14-6 spurt by the Hawks, giving them a 25-23 edge. 
• Trailing 32-29 at the 1:46 mark of the quarter, the Hawks went on an 8-0 burst to lead 37-32 at intermission. 
• Nia Chung's layup with seven seconds remaining finished the first-half scoring. 
• The Hawks exploded to begin the third quarter, as Cosio's three with 4:04 remaining in the third period gave them a game-high 13-point (52-39) edge. 
• Mac-Dege Dessources' layup at the buzzer for York capped off a 9-4 charge to end the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 56-48.
• A 9-2 Cardinal run in the first 7:36 of the fourth quarter trimmed Hunter's lead to 59-57.
• Kristina Sierra's clutch trey at the 1:23 mark chipped Hunter's lead down to two (62-60). 
• Cosio converted four free-throws to push Hunter's advantage to 67-60 with 32 seconds left. 
• The Hawks sank three more freebies in the final seconds to claim a 70-63 victory. 

Inside the Box Score
Dessouces paced York with 20 points (7-of-12 FG, 6-of-8 FG) and 11 boards, good for her 18th double-double of the season. Sierra added 13 points (5-of-11 FG, 3-of-9 3FG). Alicia Gumbs chipped in with 13 points (4-of-15 FG, 5-of-11 FT), four assists, and three steals. Hodzic tallied six rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block.  Sagna nabbed three steals.

Chung led the way for Hunter with 19 points (6-of-9 FG, 6-of-11 3FG), seven boards, four steals, and three blocks. Alexa Charles scored 17 points (5-of-13 FG, 6-of-8 FT) to go along with six rebounds and six steals. Cosio added 15 points (3-of-9 3FG, 4-of-4 FT) and two steals.

The Cardinals shot 37.7 percent (23-of-61) from the floor, 21.7 percent (5-of-53) from downtown, and 60 percent (12-of-20) from the charity stripe. Hunter had slightly better splits, canning 38.6 percent (22-of-57) of their shots, 25.9 percent (7-of-27) from beyond the arc, and 70.4 percent (19-of-27) at the line. 

York finished with the upper hand on the glass (35-30) as Hunter held the advantage in assists (17-9), steals (14-11), and blocks (8-2). . The Hawks also maintained an edge in points off turnovers (23-19) and fast break points (25-15), while York won the points in the paint (32-28), and second chance points (19-9) battles. 

Up Next 
The Cardinals (11-10 7-6 CUNYAC) square off Tuesday (Feb. 14) against the CUNYAC leading Brooklyn College Bulldogs (16-7, 13-0 CUNYAC) in a 5 p.m. clash on the road inside West Quad Center Gymnasium.

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