Box Score
The Lehman College men's basketball team (18-9 Overall, 9-4 CUNYAC) saw its run at a CUNYAC championship halted in the semifinal round of the 2009 Con Edison/CUNYAC Men's Basketball Tournament at the hands of Baruch College (23-4 Overall, 13-0 CUNYAC), 72-64 in overtime in a contest played Wednesday evening at the Nat Holman Gymnasium in New York, NY.
The Lightning scored the first five points of the game, thanks to a rainbow three-point basket by sophomore guard Alain De la Cruz and a jumper from Jonathan DeJesus. Lehman never trailed in the first half and the Lightning took their biggest lead of the game at the conclusion of the session when senior sharpshooter Scottie Nimmons drained a 25-foot three-pointer at the buzzer to send his team into the locker room with a lead of 25-18.
In the second half, the Bearcats would battle back and eventually take the lead with 12:23 remaining in the game as Lionel Hilaire would sink a jumper to put his team out in front, 32-31. The lead would change four times from that point on, and it appeared as though the Bearcats were poised to run away with the contest when Baruch's Chris Beauchamp knocked down a triple to put the Bearcats up 45-39 with 8:24 remaining in the game. The Lightning would not quit, however, as Lehman would go on a 9-2 run over the following 3:22 to take a 48-47 lead. After Beauchamp buried another three to give Baruch a 50-48 lead, a 6-0 Lehman run gave the Lightning a 54-50 advantage with 2:45 to go.
Over the ensuing 2:25, the Bearcats would outscore the Lightning 5-1 to tie the game at 55 apiece, and the Lightning had the ball in Duane Rhoden's hands with 20 seconds to go. The senior standout would proceed to drive to the basket with just a pair of seconds remaining on the clock, but his attempt was rejected by Baruch's Steven Bader, leaving just 0.8 seconds remaining on the clock. Following a Lehman College full timeout, Rhoden missed a potential game-winning lay-up, sending the game into an extra session.
In the overtime, Lehman held a 59-57 lead with 3:50 to play, but the Bearcats would outscore the Lightning 15-4 the rest of the way to claim a 72-64 win. Baruch shot 4-4 from the floor in the extra period, and 7-10 from the charity stripe while Lehman connecting on just two of its 10 attempts from the floor in overtime while going 0-2 from the line.
Despite the loss for the Lightning, Nimmons finished strong, netting a team-high 17 points to go along with two steals. Senior Alen Redzic also put forth a fine effort for Lehman College, dropping in 15 points (5-13 FG) to go along with 11 rebounds and three blocks, and Rhoden finalized his night with 10 points, six rebounds, and three assists. For the game, Lehman shot 34.9 percent.
In the victory for Baruch who advances to the CUNYAC title game for the first time since 2006, it was Beauchamp netting a game-high 24 points off of the bench for his team to go along with four rebounds. Bader, who came up with a key block at the end of regulation, finishing with 14 points and 15 rebounds to go along with four assists and three swats, and Mike Dietz contributed with 13 points and six rebounds.
Baruch held a healthy 47-37 advantage on the glass, and the Bearcats tallied 16 assists to Lehman's nine.
Rounding out the season 18-9, the Lightning still have opportunities for further postseason play. While gaining an at-large bid into the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament seems a long shot, Lehman should qualify for the ECAC Metro NY/NJ Postseason Basketball Tournament. Selection announcements for the ECAC will be made on Monday afternoon with opening round competition slated for Wednesday, March 4.
