Box Score
Hacketstown, NJ--- The Brooklyn College Men's Team (8-3; 3-1 CUNYAC) took to the road on Monday night and returned with a hard-fought 81-77 over Centenary College (2-9).
The Bridges came out strong, scoring the night's first six points. They then pushed the lead to as many as eight points, 15-7 on a Daniel Nisbett (Michael J. Petrides / Staten Island, NY) three-pointer. The Cyclones battled back with an 8-0 rally keyed by consecutive treys from William Atkinson (Hazlet / Raritan, NJ). With the score even at 15-15, BC embarked on a 9-2 rally that saw four different players score. Centenary again battled back to knot the score, this time at 26-26. The game would go back and forth over the next several minutes, as the teams would be tied on three more occasions. A three-pointer by Josh Davidson (Beasley's Point / Ocean City, NJ) would snap a 32-32 stalemate and propel the Cyclones to an 8-3 run to close out the period.
Centenary increased its lead to 13 points early in the second stanza, as an Atkinson triple gave the home team a 54-41 lead less than five minutes into the period. Brooklyn clamped down on the defensive end, forcing nine turnovers over the next seven minutes of play. BC used the extra possessions to fight back offensively. Richard Jean-Baptiste (St. John's Prep / Queens, NY) hit a three-pointer to pull the Bridges back to within one, 66-63 with little more than five minutes to play. Moments later, a Thomas Guerin (St. Edmund Prep / Brooklyn, NY) steal was converted into free-throws by Jean-Baptiste, and Centenary was clinging to a one-point edge, 66-65.
Robert Urie (Thomas River East / Ortley Beach, NJ) sank consecutive jumpers to put the Cyclones back on top by four, 70-66 with just three minutes to play. Following another foul shot, a Jean-Baptiste three pointer tied the game at 70-70. Another Centenary turnover led to another trifecta from Jean-Baptiste, giving the Bridges their first lead since the first half. The Cyclones again battled back to tie the score at 74-74 with 55 seconds remaining. The Bridges put the ball in the hands of Jean-Baptiste, and he delivered a running jumper to put Brooklyn up for good. BC would force three more turnovers in the final 35 seconds and nail five of six from the charity stripe to seal the win.
For Centenary in the loss Andrew Baker (Sparta / Sparta, NJ) recorded his sixth double-double of the year, netting 21 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. Atkinson led all scorers with 25 points, including seven three-pointers.
Jean-Baptiste led the Bridges with 24 points, 17 coming in the second half. He also collected four steals. Nesbitt added 22 points, while Thomas Guerin chipped in with his first double-double of the season, scoring 13 points to complement his 10 rebounds.
The Bridges return to Roosevelt Gymnasium on Wednesday evening, as they play host to CUNYAC North Division rival John Jay College in a 7:30 pm game.
