The Broncos' men's basketball team picked up a pivotal victory on Thursday evening, turning back the Tigers of Queensborough by a score of 75-72 at the Alumni Gymnasium. With the victory, Bronx improved to 4-7 on the 2018-2019 campaign, and 2-2 in CUNYAC action. Queensborough slipped to 6-6 on the year (and 2-2 in conference action).

Bronx was paced by standout Tilquan Rucker, as he put forth another incredible performance with a game-high 29 points. He also snatched five rebounds and added a game-high three steals to go along with two assists. Malik Hamilton knocked down three shots from beyond the arc to finish with 19 points. He fell one rebound short of a double-double, as he snatched nine caroms while also contributing three assists and a pair of steals. Hector Montano put forth a workman-type effort with nine points and a game-high 18 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass. Finally, it was Rickardo Byfield adding nine points, 14 rebounds, and a game-high three blocks.

Despite the loss for the Tigers, Queensborough was led by Kelson McIntosh, as he scored a team-high 18 points (but only seven points in the second half) to go along with six rebounds. Darron Williams contributed 15 points, five rebounds, and two assists, and Mark Blair posted a double-double with 12 points and a team-high 11 caroms.

The swing point of this contest came in the latter stages of the first half. Queensborough held a 32-25 advantage with 5:05 remaining in the session. Following a full timeout by Bronx, the Broncos would storm back, going on a 18-2 run to pull ahead by a score of 43-34. Rucker scored nine points during the spurt, while Montano contributed four and Hamilton three (on a three-point basket). The Tigers would score the final three points of the half, and Bronx held a 43-37 lead as the teams entered the locker room at halftime.

Over the opening 11:44 of the second half, the Broncos continued to maintain a slim lead, never going up by more than six points during that aforementioned time period. Queensborough would continue to stay in it, eventually tying the contest at 55 apiece with 8:16 remaining.

Later, with the game tied at 60, Bronx would take the lead for good thanks to a converted jumper by Hamilton. At that point, the Broncos held a 62-60 edge. Bronx outscored the Tigers 7-2 over the ensuing 1:12 to grab a 69-62 lead with 3:58 remaining, and it looked like the Broncos may start to pull away, but Queensborough had other plans.

The Tigers used a quick 6-0 run over a span of 1:54 to pull to within one at 69-68, but a huge converted layup by Byfield put the Broncos back ahead by a score of 71-68.

Bronx eventually held a 75-68 advantage with 43 seconds remaining, but the Tigers continued to play hard, slicing the Broncos' edge to just three points, 75-72, with 1.2 seconds left on the clock.  The Broncos' Hamilton would go to the free throw line with a chance to connected on at least one of two free throws to ice the game, but he would misfire on both. Queensborough's Mark Blair would collect the rebound and call timeout with 0.9 seconds remaining.

Following the timeout, the Tigers were unable to get a shot away after inbounding the ball, and the Broncos held on for a much-needed victory.

Queensborough connected on 41.4 percent of its shots from the floor on the evening (29-70), compared to a 38.5 percent conversion rate for Bronx (30-78). Both teams struggled from the charity stripe, with the Tigers hitting on 60 percent of their attempts from the line (9-15) compared to 50 percent for Bronx (10-20). The Broncos dominated the glass, collecting 56 rebounds compared to just 42 for the Tigers. Bronx won the turnover battle, committing just 18 miscues compared to 20 for Queensborough. The Broncos also recorded eight steals on the evening to the Tigers' five.

Bronx will now have 20 days before returning to action on January 3, 2019, as the Broncos will travel to Queens, NY for a rematch with these Tigers. Start-time for that crucial CUNYAC contest is scheduled for 7:30pm.