Women's Basketball

No. 1 Brooklyn, No. 2 Hunter Set Up CUNYAC Women's Basketball Championship Title Game Rematch

CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

NEW YORK - Top-seeded and defending champion Brooklyn and No. 2 seed Hunter recorded semifinal victories in the 2026 CUNYAC Women's Basketball Championship Wednesday evening.  The Bulldogs pulled away from fourth-seeded John Jay in the second half for a 95-80 victory and secure Brooklyn's 11th straight finals appearance.  The Hawks rallied from a six point fourth quarter deficit to top third-seeded Lehman 80-70.

Brooklyn and Hunter will meet in the championship final for the second straight year on Friday at 6:30 pm at Baruch's ARC Arena.
No. 1 Brooklyn 95, No. 4 John Jay 80 | BOX SCORE

A 34-point third quarter turned a tight game into separation as Brooklyn defeated John Jay 95-80 at the West Quad Center. The Bulldogs improved to 23-3 overall and won their 16th straight game, while John Jay saw its season come to a close at 11-16.. After leading 43-37 at halftime, Brooklyn shot 62.5 percent in the third quarter to extend the lead to 77-58 entering the fourth.

Brooklyn's 16-game win streak is the seventh-longest current active streak in Division III.

The Bulldogs shot 40.0 percent (32-80) from the field and 33.3 percent (9-27) from three-point range while forcing 29 turnovers and converting them into 31 points. Brianna Jackson led the team with 16 points and nine assists. Dior Dorsey added 14 points and five steals, while Aaliyah McCalla scored 11 points. Danae McMullen recorded 10 points and nine rebounds off the bench, and Brooklyn’s reserves accounted for 39 points. The Bulldogs also held a 31-23 edge in fast-break points and 25-18 advantage in second-chance points.

John Jay shot 37.0 percent (30-81) from the field. Michaela Lattimore had game highs of 30 points and 22 rebounds for her 20th straight double-double and 23rd of the season. Natalie Simonds added 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Bryan Bascones contributed nine points. The Bloodhounds held a 60-49 rebounding advantage and scored 48 points in the paint but were unable to overcome the turnover margin in the loss.

No. 2 Hunter 80, No. 3 Lehman 70 | BOX SCORE

Hunter secured its second straight conference finals trip with an 80-70 victory over Lehman at the Hunter Sportsplex. The Hawks improved to 19-7 overall, while Lehman fell to 16-12 overall. The Lightning were making their first semifinal appearance since 2019.

The Hawks led 38-25 early in the third quarter before Lehman whittled the lead down to six, 58-52, at the end of the third quarter.  A 14-2 Lightning spurt capped by an Isabela Araujo three at the 5:39 mark put the guests in front 66-60.  Hunter scored eight of the game's next nine points and a Wanhua Peng three with 3:30 on the clock put the Hawks in front for good, 68-67.  Hunter closed the game on a 20-4 run.

Hunter shot 38.5 percent (25-65) from the field and converted 23-of-26 free throws (88.5 percent). Alexa Charles, the leading scorer in Division III, led all scorers with 35 points and added 11 rebounds. Makkedah Murray scored nine points and went 9-for-9 from the free-throw line, while Mia Fuller added nine points and five rebounds. The Hawks outrebounded Lehman 46-41 and held a 26-22 edge in fast-break points and 14-10 advantage in second-chance scoring.

Heaven Figueroa led the Lightning with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and six steals. Emily Kennedy added 13 points and eight rebounds, while Araujo contributed 12 points. Lehman shot 33.3 percent (23-69) overall.

For the latest news on the CUNY Athletic Conference, log on to cunyathletics.com – the official site of the CUNY Athletic Conference. Also, become a follower of the CUNYAC on Instagram (@CUNYAC), X (@CUNYAC), Threads (@CUNYAC) and YouTube (@CUNY Athletic Conference), and "LIKE" Us on Facebook (CUNY Athletic Conference). 

Sign up to receive the latest CUNY Athletic Conference news delivered right to your email inbox HERE.