Box Score The Broncos men's basketball team suffered a home-opening defeat on Tuesday evening, falling to the Caimans of Hostos Community College by a score of 100-80 at the Alumni Gym. With the defeat, Bronx slipped to 0-2 on the 2019-2020 campaign (0-1 CUNYAC), while Hostos improved to 2-1 (1-0 CUNYAC).

In a game the Broncos certainly had circled on their calendar, considering the fact that the Caimans bounced Bronx in the semifinals of the 2018-2019 CUNYAC Tournament, the teams played an intense, back-and-forth opening session that saw Hostos eventually take a slim 38-35 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

Once the second half started, the Caimans turned up the voltage. Hostos outscored the Broncos 62-45 in the final period, shooting a lights-out percentage of 61.4 percent in the game's last 20 minutes (27-for-44). The Caimans also drilled six of their seven attempts from the charity stripe in the second half, while also dominating the Broncos on the glass, 25-14.

Despite the loss for Bronx, Tilquan Rucker, who earlier in the day was announced the CUNYAC Preseason Player of the Year, turned in another jaw-dropping performance that had to be seen to be believed. The sophomore guard from the Bronx netted a game-high 41 points, hitting on 16 of his 30 attempts from the floor, while also draining eight of his nine shots at the charity stripe. He also added eight rebounds (six on the offensive side) and a game-high four steals. The standout now has a combined 90 points in his last two games against Hostos, and has netted 106 points over his last three games overall dating back to last season.

Newcomer Brian Urena contributed 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds for the Broncos. He also swatted a game-high three shots, while adding two steals. Veterans Malik Hamilton and William Paradise contributed nine points apiece, and Joshua Anderson collected seven rebounds, including four of the offensive variety.

For Hostos, Reggie Quezada played like a man possessed, especially in the second half. After dropping-in a modest 10 points in the opening session, the 6'1 shooting guard was all buckets in the second half, draining 11 of his 15 attempts from the floor on his way to scoring 23 in the period, and a team-best 33 for the night. He also finalized his evening with eight rebounds and three assists. Korey Williams netted 25 points while contributing three assists and two steals, and Shakur Herbin posted a double-double, scoring 19 points and grabbing a game-high 10 boards. Additionally, his five registered assists were best among all players on the floor.

The Caimans versatility was on full display in this one. Hostos shot the ball well overall (43-89), hitting on 48.3 percent of their attempts. They also made the most of their few attempts at the line, hitting on eight of their 10 shots at the charity stripe. The Caimans also won the battle on the glass, snatching 56 boards to Bronx's 45. The only area where Hostos truly struggled was its three-point shooting, as Hostos misfired on 17 of its 23 attempts from long range.

The Broncos were 32-84 on the evening (38.1 percent), but all Bronx players not named Rucker combined to shoot 16 for 54, a conversion rate equaling less than 30 percent (29.6). The Broncos did win the turnover battle, committing just 16 miscues (eight in each half) while forcing 18 Hostos mistakes.

The Broncos will have an opportunity to rebound fairly quickly, as Bronx will travel to Haverhill, Massachusetts to take on Northern Essex Community College on Friday evening. Start-time for that contest is scheduled for 6:00pm.