1 Tilquan Rucker CUNYAC Semi-Final
98
Bronx Broncos BRONXM 9-17, 4-4 CUNY
105
Winner Hostos C.C. Caimans HOSTOSM 15-10, 6-2 CUNY
Bronx Broncos BRONXM
9-17, 4-4 CUNY
98
Final
105
Hostos C.C. Caimans HOSTOSM
15-10, 6-2 CUNY
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Bronx Broncos BRONXM 47 51 98
Hostos C.C. Caimans HOSTOSM 51 54 105

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Despite Tilquan Rucker's tournament-record 49 points, Broncos drop CUNYAC semifinal round game to Hostos, 105-98

The Broncos' men's basketball saw its bid for its first CUNYAC title game appearance since 2015 thwarted on Wednesday evening, as Bronx fell to the Caimans of Hostos by a score of 105-98 in the semifinal round of the 2018-2019 CUNYAC Community College Men's Basketball Tournament. With the loss, the Broncos slipped to 9-17 on the year, while Hostos improved to 15-10 on the season.

Bronx lost the game despite the magnificent effort by Tilquan Rucker, who set a single game tournament record by netting 49 points. He did so by draining 17 of his 27 attempts from the floor, including six of his nine launches from downtown. The standout also connected on nine of his 11 attempts from the floor. Malik Hamilton put together a versatile effort, adding 17 points, five rebounds, four steals, and three assists, and William Paradise finalized his evening with 11 points, a game-high six assists, and three rebounds.

In the triumph for the Caimans, Hostos was paced by Korey Williams, as he connected on three shots from beyond-the-arc and seven of his attempts from the charity stripe to finish with 28 points. He also contributed five assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Nakeem Hamilton drilled 10 of his 12 shots from the free throw line while also grabbing five rebounds and tallying two assists and picking up two steals. Sondai Downing posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Gary Sylvester and Tyron Smith finished with 16 and 13 points, respectively.

Things looked promising for the Broncos early, as they raced ahead by a score of 16-4 just 3:46 into the game. Bronx also led by a score of 33-18 with 9:52 remaining in the opening half, but the Caimans would outscore the Broncos 33-14 for the remainder of the half to take a 51-47 edge into the locker room at halftime.

It seemed as though the game would be up for grabs with 5:02 remaining, as the Caimans held just a four-point advantage at 84-80. However, six consecutive drained free throws by Hostos put the Caimans up 90-80. Hostos would never lead by less than five points the rest of the way, eventually winning the contest by seven.

The teams almost recorded identical shooting percentages, as the Broncos hit on 52.1 percent of their attempts (37-71), while Hostos connected on 52.9 percent of its launches (37-70). Bronx held a slim 37-36 edge in the rebounding department, and Hostos won the turnover battle, committing just 15 mistakes while forcing 18 Broncos errors. The Caimans recorded 19 assists to Bronx' 11.

The Broncos will not return to action until February 23, as they'll take to the road to battle SUNY Ulster. Start-time for that contest is scheduled for 1:00pm. Meanwhile, Hostos will advance to Friday evening's CUNYAC Community College Championship Game, where it will face either the Borough of Manhattan Community College or Queensborough. Start-time for that game is scheduled for 8:30pm.
 
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