Top seeded Lehman College (22-4) will put their 14 game winning streak on the line Friday as they seek to win the CUNYAC title for the first time since 2004.
Lehman earned their ticket to the final with a 78-55 victory over John Jay.
Andrew Utate paced the Lightning with 29 points and
Luis Hernandez tallied 20 as Lehman shot .500 from the field (29-58) and behind the arc (11-22).
CSI (16-11), the number three seed, defeated # 2 Baruch 77-67 Tuesday night in the other semifinal.
Lehman defeated Staten Island twice this season, in a pair of highly competitive games. Most recently (2/10), A last second shot by
Luis Hernandez propelled the Lightning to a 83-82 win at home. Back on January 3rd, Lehman needed OT to come away with an 85-79 victory. A lay-up by Hernandez as the horn sounded sent the game into overtime. In the extra period with the score tied at 72, Lehman ran off eight straight points. Hernandez scored the final eight points of the game including 6-6 from the charity stripe.
All season the Lightning have been led by their 10 seniors, four of which are averaging double figures. Hernandez leads the charge with 19.1 points per game while shooting .565 from the field and .421 from behind the arc. He also leads the team in rebounding (6.0 rpg) and steals (51). Utate is chipping in 16.8 points per night while averaging 5.9 rebounds per contest.
Mylo Mitchell is also shooting over .500 and scoring 14 points per game.
Jean Marcial is averaging 11.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest. As a team the Lightning rank 19
th in the country in assists per game (18.0) as well as field goal percentage (.490).
Tip off at Nat Holman Gymnasium on the campus of CCNY is slated for 8:30 PM. Fans unable to make the trip to City College can follow all of the action on line. Live stats will be available and the CUNYAC is streaming the game on Facebook Live.
Live Stats
Live Stream