NEW YORK-- (www.YORKATHLETICS.com) York College men's basketball pulled out a thrilling 96–94 overtime CUNYAC road win Saturday against the John Jay College Bloodhounds (5–14, 3–5) inside The Doghouse, registering a season-high point total and featuring six players in double figures in a balanced scoring display. The victory secured York's first season sweep of John Jay since the 2022–23 season and marked the second consecutive year the matchup was decided in overtime.

How it Happened

• Christopher Smith's three-point play at 16:25 gave York an early 10-6 edge.
• Ahead 12-11, Babacar Gueye sparked a Cardinal 7-0 burst to go up by eight (19-11).
• For John Jay, Amare Jordan's three-pointer basket with 7:26 remaining in the half made it a one-possession affair (25-22).
• The Cardinals pushed their lead once again to eight (34-26) following a pair of free throws by Bryan Godette.
• Battling back, Alsseny Diallo's turnaround jumper at 2:27 trimmed the deficit to one (37-36).
• York responded to the flurry with an 8-3 stretch to end the half, taking a 45-39 edge into intermission. Smith canned a mid-range jumper to beat the buzzer for the Cardinals. 
• Layups by Smith and Gozie Chinegwundoh gave the squad a double-digit advantage (49-39) at the 17:29 mark.
• Both teams traded baskets for the next five minutes, and Jonte Wallace's jumper with 12:29 on the clock established a game-high 12-point margin (64-52).
• Jaidan Johnson's jumper at 9:02 made the score 72-63, which was York's largest lead the rest of the contest.
• Adrien Kopec's triple capped off a swift 7-0 John Jay burst to get it down to a one-possession scoreline (72-70) with 7:13 left.
• Behind 79-75, Aidony Nivar orchestrated a 5-0 mini spurt to give the Bloodhounds their first lead (80-79) since early in the first stanza.
• Wallace's tip-in layup got the Cardinals back in front (81-80) at the 1:39 mark.
• John Jay then responded with four free throws to go up 84-81 with 41 seconds remaining.
• Responding, Smith's layup at 0:31 trimmed the deficit to one (84-83).
• With a chance to push the lead back up to three again, Jamir Stewart went 1-for-2 from the line, giving the Cardinals the chance to win.
• Driving to the hoop, Malakai Clark's tough layup evened the score at 85, forcing overtime. 
• Joshua Jackman and Stewart traded baskets early in the extra session, with the game tied at 89 with 2:38 remaining.
• A pair of free throws from Clark and a jumper by Smith gave York a four-point edge (93-89).
• Nivar responded with a tough three-pointer to make it 93-92.
• Smith then came back with a layup to make it 95-92 with 0:48 showing on the clock.
• Down three with 13 seconds left, Jordan drilled a pair of free throws and forced a steal on the inbounds.
• On the ensuing possession, however, Jordan committed an offensive foul and gave Chinegwunoh a chance to add to York's 95-94 lead.
• After going 1-of-2 from the charity stripe, Stewart was fouled on a drive with under two seconds left, providing the opportunity to tie. t
• Stewart clanked both attempts, and Kopec front rimmed the follow up, sealing a 96-94 thriller. 

Leading the Cardinals

• Smith poured in a team-high 23 points (9-of-20 FG) to go along with team-bests in rebounds (8), steals (5), and assists (3).
• Wallace tallied 16 points (8-of-14 FG) and six rebounds.
• Jackman chipped in with 13 points and seven rebounds.
• Chinegwundoh provided a spark off the bench with 11 points and four steals.
• Clark rounded out the squad's double-digit scoring efforts with 10 points (4-of-8 FG, 2-of-4 FT) and also provided help on the glass (six rebounds).

For John Jay

• Nivar netted a game-leading 25 points (7-of-15 FG, 5-of-10 3FG, 6-of-8 FT), collected 10 rebounds, and dished out five assists.
• Kopec provided a strong offensive display of 24 points (5-of-10 3FG, 5-of-5 FT) to go along with seven rebounds and five assists.
• Stewart dropped 16 points (4-of-6 FG, 2-of-3 3FG, 6-of-9 FT) off the bench.
• Jordan, Diallo, and James Bradberry all blocked a team-best two shots. Diallo added eight points and 10 rebounds to his statline, and Jordan contributed eight points and five rebounds. 

Inside the Box Score
York shot 43.5 percent from the floor, canned three triples, and connected on 19 of its 28 free throw attempts (67.9 percent). The Bloodhounds shot 44.4 percent (28-of-63) from the floor, 41.7 percent (15-of-36 from downtown), and 65.7 percent (23-of-35) from the charity stripe. While the Cardinals had the edge in rebounds (48-47) and steals (14-5), John Jay won the assist (20-7) and block (7-4) categories. It was a matchup of two styles, as the Bloodhounds were more proficient from three-point land, while York scored 50 points in the paint. Despite only tallying seven assists, the Cardinals turned over John Jay 22 times, scoring 21 21 points off turnovers and 17 fast break points. In contrast, the Bloodhounds scored nine points off turnovers and seven fast-break points.

Up Next 
The Cardinals (6-9, 6-2 CUNYAC) continue their travels Friday (Jan. 30) with a CUNYAC road battle against the City College of New York Beavers (4-14, 4-4 CUNYAC) starting at 7 p.m. inside Nat Holman Gymnasium.

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