For the first time nearly all season, the CCNY Men’s Basketball team looked like the playoff team they’re expected to be, holding off a second half, eight minute, 19-9 run by Brooklyn College in the Beavers 92-85 win Friday night in Harlem.
“Definitely a team effort all of the way,” said head coach Tom Green after the game. The Beavers improve to 4-8 overall in the season, and go up a game over the Bulldogs with their now 3-4 CUNYAC record.
Coming off a 39 point blowout at Division I NJIT on Monday, Jan. 13, the Beavers led for 39 of the game’s 40 minutes, marking one of the few times they’ve done that all season while scoring over 90 points for just the third time this season.
CCNY is 2-1 when scoring 90 or more points with their only loss coming in overtime at John Jay back in late November.
“Everyone’s more upbeat, everyone’s happy,” CCNY’s Nathan Lopez said after the game. The Beavers two wins in their last three games comes off a tough five-game losing skid that included three big early conference losses.
Lopez played what’s possibly his best game of the season, scoring 16 points with three assists and two big steals that kept CCNY ahead throughout the game.
“Nate’s been playing well. I think he feels a little more comfortable. He’s been playing great defense for us and hitting some shots for us as well,” Green mentioned.
“When I get out there, I’m going to go and play to the best of my ability,” Lopez added. “I know game by game it’s just going to get better.”
Teammate Anthony Lewis stole the show again on Friday night, scoring a game-high 35 points with 17 rebounds and five steals. He scored 22 of those points in the first half while shooting just under 50 percent from the court.
“It’s just intense,” Lewis mentioned. “Now with these conference games, it gets intense by the day. It’s a dogfight. Everyone wants to win a conference game.”
It was nothing short of a dogfight midway through the second half, as Brooklyn College rallied back from an 18-point deficit, coming as close to within three points, 84-81, going into the game’s final minute. But Lopez’s steal followed by Lewis’ dunk in transition gave the Beavers the two possession lead, 86-81, which sealed the CCNY win.
CCNY will hit the road for the next two games as part of a five games in eight days stratch when they take on Mitchell College on Sunday and The College of New Jersey on Monday night in New Jersey.
In the last meeting with both teams, the Beavers were routed by Mitchell College at home 98-86 back on Dec. 12 and defeated the Lions of TCNJ on a buzzer-beating three pointer 76-73 in the season opener.
“If you’re playing well, I want to play games, I don’t want to practice,” Green added. “I’m looking at the last two wins we’ve had and look to keep it going.”
But it’s the star Lewis that probably said it best: “For the most part, you got to take it day by day.”
