Women's Basketball

No. 3 Lehman, No. 4 John Jay Use Balanced Efforts in CUNYAC Women's Basketball Championship Opening Round Wins

CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

NEW YORK - Third-seeded Lehman and No. 4 seed John Jay held serve in the first round of the 2026 CUNY Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship Saturday.  The Lightning punched their ticket to the semifinals for the first time since 2019 with a 94-55 win over No. 6 seed CCNY, while the Bloodhounds topped No. 5 Baruch 94-72.

The Bloodhounds travel to No. 1 Brooklyn for one semifinal on Tuesday, February 24 at 5 pm, while the Lightning head to second-seeded Hunter for a 6 pm semifinal Tuesday night.
No. 4 John Jay 94, No. 5 Baruch 72 | BOX SCORE

John Jay earned its sixth straight CUNYAC semifinal trip with a 94-72 win at the Doghouse Saturday. The Bloodhounds improved to 11-15 overall, while Baruch sees its season come to a close at 11-15 overall. John Jay led 51-35 at halftime and maintained control in the second half, outscoring Baruch 43-37 over the final two quarters.

John Jay shot 44.7 percent (34-76) from the field and converted 23-of-24 free throws (95.8 percent). The Bloodhounds held a 56-42 rebounding advantage and scored 46 points in the paint. Bryan Bascones led six Bloodhounds in double figures in the scoring column with 19 points and eight rebounds. Michaela Lattimore recorded 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while Miah Crockett added 14 points. Natalie Simonds finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, and Briana Minick and Essence Richardson contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively. John Jay totaled 30 fast-break points and 20 second-chance points.

Baruch shot 33.8 percent (27-80) from the field and 39.1 percent (9-23) from three-point range. Isabella Kostyal-Larrier led the Bearcats with 20 points, and Lola De Luka added 17 points off the bench. Lola Idir contributed 16 points, and D’Andre McRae pulled down nine rebounds to go along with seven points. 

No. 3 Lehman 94, No. 6 CCNY 55 | BOX SCORE

Lehman placed five players in double figures as it earned its first semifinal trip since 2019 with its win over the Beavers Saturday.  The Lightning improved to 16-11 overall while CCNY, making its first tournament appearance since 2022, finish 6-18 overall. Lehman led 25-11 after the first quarter and extended the margin to 52-28 at halftime. 

Lehman shot 48.1 percent (37-77) from the field and 46.4 percent (13-28) from three-point range. Heaven Figueroa led all scorers with 24 points, hitting 6-of-7 from beyond the arc and adding eight steals. Sage Fanelli and Isabela Araujo each scored 15 points, while Nelson Asamoah added 12 points and seven assists. Emily Kennedy contributed 11 points and six assists. Lehman finished with 21 steals, forced 32 turnovers, and scored 43 points off turnovers. The Lightning also held a 42-22 advantage in points in the paint and a 26-8 edge in fast-break points.

Joscelyn Ramos and Ashley Colon led the Beavers with 12 points each. Ashley Subervi finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double, while Blessings Joseph-Pascall finished with 11 points and four assists. CCNY outrebounded Lehman 54-32 and had 17 second-chance points on the afternoon.

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