CUNYAC Championship CCNY---Forcing an overtime in the CUNYAC championship game this evening against, the #2-seeded Brooklyn College women's basketball team suffered a couple of tough breaks in the extra period, eventually falling to #1-seeded Lehman, 73-67.  The Lightning will now move on to the Division III NCAA Tournament.  The Bulldogs move to 19-8 on the season.  Future postseason tournament plans for Brooklyn will be announced in the next couple of days.

Trailing 63-61 with just under 13 seconds to go in regulation and having to go the length of the court, sophomore guard Karen Mak dribbled the ball from half court on a pass from Olivia Colbert for a righty lay-in forcing overtime as Lehman's shot to win the game in the first forty minutes fell short.

With the Bulldogs trailing by two points with :34 remaining in overtime, Lehman's Karrin Walker would pick up an offensive rebound from the floor and lay the ball in to give the Lightning a two-possession lead.  Following a missed BC three-point attempt, the Lightning put the game away with a couple of free throws with :18 remaining.  

Neither team showed any signs of nervousness, exchanging baskets through the first nine minutes of the game.  The Bulldogs scored five straight to end the opening period, capped by a Twanda Holder three-point make to give BC the 19-14 advantage heading into the second period.  The Bulldogs used the long-ball to their advantage, connecting on three of four in the opening period.  Holder finished with eight points in the first period including a perfect 2-2 from beyond the arc. 
 
Lehman's Jennifer Navarro gave the Lightning the lead back, 22-21, on a three-point make with 5:59 remaining in the first half.  Lehman extended the lead to five while the Bulldogs were scoreless through the first six-plus minutes of the second period.  Freshman forward Alexandra Moogan ended the drought with a lay-in at the 3:41 mark.  The Bulldogs would retake the lead with a little over a minute to go in the half on two Olivia Colbert made free throws.  A Justine Vento three-pointer extended the Bulldogs' lead to five until Lehman answered at the buzzer with a three-point make of their own.  BC led 32-29 heading into the locker room. 
 
BC was paced by Holder's ten first-half points.  Lehman's Amely Del Rosario, the CUNYAC Player of the Year, led all scorers at the half with 14 points including the three-pointer at the buzzer that cut the Bulldog halftime lead to three.   
 
The Bulldogs shot an accurate 57% (4-7) from beyond the arc in the first half.
 
BC kept a relatively comfortable lead as far as championship games go through the third quarter.  The Bulldogs extended their lead to as many as eight points.  However, the Lightning used full-court pressure to chop the lead down to 48-44 to end the period. 
 
After exchanging baskets to open the final period, the Lightning scored five straight to retake the lead, 55-54, with 5:44 remaining in the game.  A Justine Vento three on the ensuing possession gave the Bulldogs the lead back. 

Junior guard Justine Vento led the Bulldogs with 15 points on 5-6 from beyond the arc.  Junior center Maya Agee-Thomas added 13 points and seven rebounds.  Guards Twanda Holder and Karen Mak scored 12 and 10 points respectively.  Junior forward, Olivia Colbert, who was named to the CUNYAC All-Tournament team rounded out the starters with nine points and 14 rebounds on the evening.  

Lehman's Amely Del Rosario who was named Tournament MVP scored a game-high 30 points.