Dec. 17, 2010

Box Score

As final exam week on the campus of Lehman College came to a close for many of its students, Coach Steve Schulman and his team faced a different type of test on Friday night in the form of perennial New Jersey Athletic Conference powerhouse William Paterson University as it visited the Bronx for a non-conference matchup.

Although the Lightning ultimately failed, dropping a tightly contested 52-47 decision to fall to 5-5 on the season, the Lightning once again showed an ability to bounce back from adversity.

Having already surrendered seven straight points to fall behind 29-24 nearly 1:30 into the second half, Schulman watched the Pioneers outwork his players for four offensive rebounds in a span of two possessions, capped by two free throws from Gabriel Paul to extend the lead to 31-24. William Paterson, after a first half that at times had its coach Jose Rebimbas loudly questioning his team's desire, seemed to own the game's momentum. That seemed to be the case even more so after Nick Allan's jumper pushed the Pioneers' lead to nine points, their largest of the game, at 37-28 with 12:10 remaining.

But following a timeout to regroup, Lehman began its climb back, starting with a three-pointer by Samuel Batista. The basket was Batista's first of the second half, a result of William Paterson mixing up its defensive looks to specifically thwart the Lehman sharpshooter.

After Paul dropped in a layup for the 39-31 lead, Lehman ran off 11 straight points, capped by another Batista three-pointer, this one to take a 42-39 lead. William Paterson would eventually grab the lead back behind five huge points from Rick DeStefano to set up the game's most crucial sequence.

With William Paterson leading 50-47 with 43 seconds remaining, Paul Siljee missed two attempts from the free throw line, only to have a costly turnover ensue on the next possession when Enric Martinez stepped on the sideline to give the ball back to the Pioneers. Martinez was absolved of his error when Nick Allan missed the front end of a one-and-one, leaving the Lightning a chance to once again draw closer or tie the game.

Unfortunately, Alain De La Cruz's potential game-tying three-point attempt came up short. Given the chance to finally put the Lightning away, DeStefano canned two free throws to seal the victory.

On the evening Lehman was led by Batista, who finished with 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting, 4-of-7 from downtown. Jonathan DeJesus, who was extremely active in playing a “high intensity 37 minutes” according to Coach Schulman, finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds. William Paterson's Paul finished with a game-high 24 points.

Despite the loss, Schulman liked what he saw from his team heading into its extended break for the holidays.

“I'm happy with our response in the second half,” noted Schulman. “We have things to improve at the ends of games, but we can compete with the top teams.”