JAMAICA, NY --- (www.YORKATHLETICS.com) York College men's basketball got off to a strong start Friday evening in their CUNYAC opener, securing a hard-fought 72-66 victory over the Medgar Evers College Cougars (0-8, 0-1 CUNYAC) inside Cougars Cave.  The Cardinals set the tone early to pick up their first win of the season while also earning their first CUNYAC-opening triumph since the 2022–23 campaign.

How it Happened

• A three-pointer from Zachary Bussey gave Medgar Evers an early 6-2 advantage.
• Babacar Gueye's layup capped off a 12-3 Cardinals burst, giving them a 14-9 lead with 13:38 remaining in the first half.
• Ahead 16-13, York looked poised to take control of the contest, as a 20-0 surge extended the lead to 23 (36-13) at the 8:07 mark. Christopher Smith (8) and Gueye (6) were responsible for 70% of the squad's scoring during that stretch.
• Trailing 43-24 with 3:41 on the clock, the Cougars closed the frame on a 16-2 charge to trim the deficit to two possessions (45-39).
• Ultimately, the 45 points was York's most productive opening half of the season.
• The Cardinals regained momentum after the break, utilizing a 10-0 spurt to go up 55-39.
• Attempting another comeback, Medgar Evers responded with its own 11-0 blitz to make it a 55-50 scoreline with 10:56 left in the contest.
• A layup from Ahmed Toure at 9:00 made it a one-possession game (57-55) for the first time since the 12:56 mark of the first half.
• Both squads traded buckets for the next possessions, as Michael Perez's jumper got the score back to within two (61-59) with 4:08 on the clock.
• A Smith layup and two free throws from Joshua Jackman pushed York's lead up to six (67-61).
• Perez's three-pointer cut the margin to three (67-64) at the 2:23 mark.
• The Cardinal defense continued to clamp up, as they took a 69-64 advantage into the final minute.
• Following two Toure free throws to make it 69-66 with 30 seconds remaining, Toure responded with a steal in the Cougar half, but proceeded to miss the ensuing layup.
• York closed out the 72-66 scoreline by draining three free throws.

Leading the Cardinals

• Smith led a balanced scoring effort with 16 points (4-of-5 FT). He also grabbed 10 rebounds, added four steals and distributed three assists, culminating in his first double-double as a Cardinal.
• Jackman produced the second York double-double of the night with 15 points (9-of-10 FT) and 11 rebounds.
• Jonte Wallace scored a season-high 12 points and excelled defensively with a game-leading seven steals.
• Gueye chipped in with a career-high 10 points (4-of-7 FG) off the bench. Jaidan Johnson matched Smith's three-assist total.

For Medgar Evers

• Perez paced both teams with 24 points (9-of-16, 4-of-9 3FG, 2-of-2 FT) to go along with four assists.
• Toure offered an offensive and defensive presence with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and a game-high five blocks.
• Omari Hinds totaled 11 points and five rebounds.
• Bussey dished out a game-best five assists.

Inside the Box Score
The Cardinals canned 34.2 percent (26-of-76) of their field goals and drained a season-high 21 free throws. The Cougars shot 37.7 percent (23-of-61) from the floor, 24.1 percent (7-of-29) from long distance, and had 13 makes from the charity stripe. While York had a slight advantage in rebounds (48-45) and steals (18-11), Medgar Evers won the assist (14-11) and block (12-6) categories. The real difference in the final score was that York excelled in the dirty work, outscoring the Cougars 52-28 in paint points, and scoring 25 points off 26 turnovers.

Up Next 
The Cardinals (1-6, 1-0 CUNYAC) continue CUNYAC action Thursday (Dec. 11) with a home matchup against the John Jay College Bloodhounds (2-5, 0-0 CUNYAC) starting at 7 p.m. inside York College Gymnasium. 

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