Men’s Basketball Closes Season With Victory
By Owen Russell
The men’s basketball team ended its season this past week on Senior Night with their fifth and final win over York College on Feb. 14. The Bulldogs shot out of the gate crushing the Cardinals in the first half. Brooklyn went on a scoring surge, leading by as much as 19 midway through the half. By halftime, the Bulldogs scored 54 points. Leading by 15, the game threatened to become a Valentine’s Day massacre. However, York charged back.
Brooklyn and York battled toward the bell, trading baskets till the final seconds. With 15 seconds left in the season, the game lay tied at 89. With victory on the line, junior Zuric Harvey drove to the basket and scored the decisive layup. Brooklyn won before the buzzer. Harvey’s late-game heroics propelled the Bulldogs over York, along with his 22 points in 24 minutes.
With the thrilling victory over York, Brooklyn’s season comes to a close. While there were plenty of ups and downs, Brooklyn ended it on a high note.
Women’s Basketball Ends With A Perfect Record
By Owen Russell
The women’s basketball team concluded the regular season on Feb. 14 with a win against York College. The Bulldogs secured the top spot in the CUNYAC conference tournament and finished the season with a perfect record against its conference rivals.
With an impressive record behind them, Brooklyn didn’t have much to play for on Senior Night, having already clinched the first seed in the CUNYAC. Perhaps that explains Brooklyn’s slow start. By the end of the first quarter, York scored 29 points and held a 12-point lead. The Bulldogs would be well within their right to lay down and allow York to coast to an upset. But Brooklyn doesn’t play like that. The offense revved up, and scored over 20 points in three subsequent quarters. The Cardinals couldn’t recover. Brooklyn brought home the victory for the 13th time in a row and finished the regular season with a perfect record against the CUNYAC.
Three Bulldogs scored 20 or more points in the win. Senior guard Gianna Gotti led the team with 21 points. Fellow seniors Ericka James and Dasha Goodman scored 20 points apiece. Brooklyn ended their season on the highest of notes, proving their supremacy over the CUNYAC.
With the postseason on the horizon, Brooklyn looks poised to trounce the competition, but only time will tell.
Men’s Volleyball Racks Up Loses
By Owen Russell
The men’s volleyball team lost three straight games this week, including its first CUNYAC match of the season. The backslide brings its record to 4-6.
The Bulldogs kicked the week off with the Eastern University tri-match on Feb. 11. Their first match of the day came against Cairn University. Brooklyn failed to do much of anything against the Highlanders, losing three straight sets by double-digits (25-14, 25-15, 25-12). It was a sluggish affair. Brooklyn failed to meet their usual standards, allowing Cairn to dominate statistically. The Bulldogs achieved far fewer kills and assists than usual. While the Highlanders scored 29 kills, Brooklyn scored merely nine. Senior outside hitter Darren Roach led the team with five kills.
Brooklyn’s second match of the day came against host Eastern University. The outcome was much the same. For the second time in a few hours, Brooklyn lost three straight sets by double-digits (25-10, 25-11, 25-15). The Bulldogs could not fend off the Eagles’ offensive onslaught. Brooklyn managed just one block while allowing 33 kills by their opponent. The Bulldogs’ assists and kills were both up from the previous match, though it was not enough to come any closer to victory. Junior outside hitter Tommy Min led the team with 11 assists.
On Feb. 16, the Bulldogs held the opportunity to turn things around when they squared off with Medgar Evers for their first CUNYAC match of the season. If Brooklyn won against Medgar Evers, it would have given them a 1-0 record in conference play, allowing them to start on the right foot. However, nothing went as planned for Brooklyn. For the third straight time, Brooklyn failed to secure a single-set victory. The Bulldogs were close each time (25-19, 25-23, 25-18), yet still could not turn the tide. This match saw an improvement from the previous two losses, but one area needed more work. Brooklyn allowed 12 aces to the Cougars while only scoring one themselves. If the Bulldogs tightened up and not allowed easy points off the serve, maybe the outcome would’ve been different. Sophomore middle Aziz Abdusamiev led the team with seven kills and scored their one and only ace.