New York, NY — The City College of New York men's basketball team pulled off a thrilling upset on Saturday afternoon, knocking off Baruch College, 72–70, in the opening round of the CUNYAC Men's Basketball Championship at the ARC Arena. With the victory, the Beavers advance to the conference semifinals.
CCNY trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half and went into the locker room down 44–33, but flipped the script after halftime with a gritty defensive effort and timely shot-making. The Beavers held Baruch to just 26 second-half points, including 0-for-9 shooting from three-point range, as they clawed their way back into the game.
Senior
Michael Bowman led CCNY with a game-high 19 points, knocking down three three-pointers and converting key free throws down the stretch. Sophomore
Chris Popotte delivered a strong all-around performance with 16 points and a team-best 10 rebounds, anchoring the paint on both ends of the floor.
CCNY also received balanced scoring from freshman
Olabanjo Aborisade and senior
Camryn Reyes, who each finished with 12 points. Reyes added nine rebounds, while junior Carcamo chipped in 11 points and dished out eight assists to keep the offense flowing.
After falling behind early in the second half, CCNY surged ahead behind a decisive run midway through the period. The game featured five lead changes, but the Beavers made the final stand, forcing tough looks from Baruch in the closing minutes and sealing the win at the free-throw line.
Baruch was paced by Jack Gordon, who scored 24 points, and Leyi Adebayo, who posted a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Despite shooting 55.6 percent in the first half, the Bearcats couldn't maintain their rhythm against CCNY's second-half defensive pressure.
CCNY will now look to continue its postseason run when it takes the court in the CUNYAC semifinals, traveling on the road to take on No. 2-seeded Brooklyn College on Tuesday, February 24, at 7:15 pm.
