Women's Basketball

Charles' 31 Points Lead No. 2 Hunter Past No. 1, Defending Champion Brooklyn in CUNYAC Women's Basketball Final

CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | BOX SCORE

NEW YORK - Championship Most Valuable Player Alexa Charles finished with 31 points as second seeded Hunter surged past top-seeded and defending champion Brooklyn 77-69 to win the 2026 CUNY Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship at Baruch's ARC Arena.  The Hawks improve to 20-7 and earn the CUNYAC's automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship, while the Bulldogs, who were 14-0 in league play and saw a 16-game win streak snapped, are now 23-4 overall.

The Bulldogs had won the last five CUNYAC women's basketball title.  For the Hawks, this is their first title since 2019 and 10th overall, tying them with CCNY for the most in conference history.

Brooklyn scored the final seven points of the first quarter to build a 19-11 lead after 10 minutes.  The Hawks pulled within three, 21-18 3:49 into the second quarter before the Bulldogs upped their lead to nine, 27-19, with 3:32 left before the break.  A 9-1 Hunter run to close the half pulled the Hawks within one, 28-27, at intermission.

Hunter took its first lead of the second half, 31-30, 1:13 into the second half on a Mia Fuller basket. After trailing by as many as six, Brooklyn reclaimed the lead on two free throws by Brianna Jackson with 1:15 left in the third, but Hunter took a 53-49 lead into the fourth after a Charles three.  The Hawks extended the lead to 10, 60-50, with just over two minutes gone in the fourth.  Hunter maintained at least a six-point cushion the rest of the way.

Hunter shot 50.9 percent (27-53) from the field and 54.5 percent (6-11) from three-point range. In addition to her 31 points, Charles, who is now the fourth-leading scorer all time in Division III with 2,669 points, added four assists, four rebounds and three steals while going 10-20 from the floor. Fuller added 15 points and six assists. Gianna Henriques recorded 12 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and eight blocks. 

Brooklyn shot 33.3 percent (25-75) from the field and 28.6 percent (6-21) from three-point range. Jackson led the Bulldogs with 22 points, and Anna Kitch added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Dior Dorsey contributed 15 points and nine rebounds. Brooklyn held a 49-34 rebounding advantage.

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Championship MVP Alexa Charles

2026 CUNYAC Women's Basketball Championship All-Tournament Team
Alexa Charles, Hunter - MVP
Gianna Henriques, Hunter
Mia Fuller, Hunter
Brianna Jackson, Brooklyn
Dior Dorsey, Brooklyn
Michaela Lattimore, John Jay
Heaven Figueroa, Lehman

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