Baruch Holds Off Men's Basketball,
73-65
BALTIMORE, Md. (1/2/10) - Junior forward
Jonathan Jones (Linden, N.J.) had 13 points and 14
rebounds, however the Kean University men's basketball team was
unable to overcome a double-digit second half deficit, as they fell
to Baruch College, 73-65, in the opening round of the Blue Jay
Invitational at Johns Hopkins University on Saturday afternoon.
Senior forwards Akinwande Oshodi (Florence,
N.J.) and Rodlin Pierre (Orange, N.J.)
split 24 points evenly for the Cougars (3-8), while senior forward
George Kunkel (Glendale, N.Y.) had game-highs of 25 points
and 15 rebounds to lead the Bearcats (8-1) to their seventh
straight win.
Baruch connected on nearly 60 percent of their shots from the
field (15-of-26) to jump out to a 40-28 lead at halftime, as George
hit 6-of-9 shots for 14 points and added seven rebounds in the
opening half. The Bearcats, who used a 9-0 run midway through
the half, led by as many as 14 points in the first half.
Pierre and Oshodi each had seven points in the opening half for the
Cougars.
In the second half, Baruch built its largest lead at 52-36 on a
three-pointer by junior guard Lionel Hilaire (Far Rockaway,
N.Y.) with 12:46 remaining. The Cougars, who trailed by
10 points with just under six minutes left, used a 9-2 to pull
within three points at 62-59 on a lay-up by Jones with 2:55 to
go. However, that would be as close as Kean would get, as the
Bearcats answered with five straight points and would hit all six
free throws in the final 40 seconds to seal the victory.
Oshodi (pictured right) finished with seven rebounds, while
senior forward Brian Lytle (Union, N.J.) chipped
in with nine points.
Lionel added 16 points and five assists for the Bearcats.
Kean faces University of Mary Washington in the consolation game
on Sunday, January 3, at 1 p.m.
