Malik
63
Bronx Broncos BRONXM 9-13
65
Winner ASA-Manhattan Mad Titans ASAMAN 11-8
Bronx Broncos BRONXM
9-13
63
Final
65
ASA-Manhattan Mad Titans ASAMAN
11-8
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Bronx Broncos BRONXM 24 39 63
ASA-Manhattan Mad Titans ASAMAN 26 39 65

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Banged-up Broncos fall to ASA-Manhattan, 65-63 despite Malik Hamilton's 31 points

The Broncos men's basketball team suffered a tough loss Thursday evening, falling to the Mad Titans of ASA-Manhattan by a score of 65-63. The contest took place at the Post BK in Brooklyn, NY. With the defeat, Bronx has now suffered four consecutive setbacks, dropping to a mark of 9-13 on the year. ASA-Manhattan improved to 11-8 with the win.

The Broncos received a bit of difficult news earlier in the day, as the team learned it would be without both Tyquan Rucker and Steven Glover, both of which are currently nursing injuries. Even despite this, Bronx was almost able to pull off the victory, but the Mad Titans did just enough to register the win.

Despite the loss for Bronx, sophomore Malik Hamilton was sensational on the evening, as he recorded a game-high 31 points, including the team's final 22 points of the contest, while tying for the game-high of 12 rebounds. Izaiah Richardson connected on four shots from beyond the arc, as he finished with 15 points, and William Paradise contributed five points, four rebounds, and a game-high 10 assists.

In the victory for ASA-Manhattan, the Mad Titans were paced by Joseph Hicks, as he finalized his evening with a team-best 19 points, and a game-high of five steals. He also snatched five rebounds, as well. Justin Wilson posted a double-double, netting 12 points, and snatching 11 boards (seven on the offensive side), and it was Fred Rijos finishing with 10 points, three rebounds, and a pair of dimes.

The contest between the Broncos and Mad Titans was very competitive throughout, though Bronx did race out to an early 13-7 advantage in the opening 5:56 of action. ASA-Manhattan would then go on a 7-0 run over a 3:04 span to catapult ahead by a score of 14-13. The teams would then exchange the lead four times over the ensuing 2:58, before the Mad Titans would take their biggest lead of the game to that point, 24-17, with 4:45 remaining in the opening half. The Broncos would keep it close, holding ASA-Manhattan to just one field goal for the remainder of the half, as Bronx closed the gap to two points (26-24) as the teams entered the locker room at halftime.

In the second session, neither team took more than a four point lead over the other until there was 7:38 remaining, when Hamilton would split a pair of free throws to put the Broncos ahead 44-39. Bronx later led 48-43 with 6:29 to go, but a 16-2 Mad Titans run over a span of 3:04 put ASA-Manhattan up 59-50 with just 3:25 to play.

Still, despite ASA-Manhattan's ferocious run, the Broncos refused to quit. Hamilton would convert on a layup with 2:53 to go, and on Bronx's next possession, Hamilton would strike again, nailing a three-point basket to pull his team to within four points (59-55). After a 30-second timeout by the Mad Titans, ASA-Manhattan would score on its ensuing possession, getting a converted layup by Fred Rijos to make it 61-55 Mad Titans with 1:28 to go.

The Broncos would then nearly pull off an incredible late comeback, as a Mad Titans turnover, sandwiched between five points from Hamilton, pulled Bronx to within one at 61-60. After a missed layup and defensive rebound by the Broncos, Bronx would have a chance to take the lead, but Paradise would miss a layup. The ball was collected by Rijos, who took the ball the length of the floor before converting a layup to make it 63-60 Mad Titans with 21 seconds left.

After a Bronx timeout, Hamilton would misfire on a potential game-tying three-point basket, and the Broncos would be forced to foul. Joseph Hicks would then step to the line for ASA-Manhattan. After converting on two free throws with three seconds left to make it 65-60 Mad Titans, the Broncos would inbound the ball to Paradise, who swung it over to Hamilton. Hamilton would proceed to connect on a 45-footer at the buzzer, but despite the incredible shot, ASA-Manhattan still won the game, 65-63.

Both teams struggled all evening in almost all facets. The Broncos attempted 62 shots on the evening, draining just 21 of them (33.9 percent), and the Mad Titans didn't fare much better, hitting on just 36.2 percent of their attempts (25-69). Both squads struggled mightily at the line, with Bronx drilling just 13 of 25 attempts from the charity stripe (52 percent) compared to a 57.1 percent conversion rate for ASA-Manhattan (12-for-21). The teams combined for a whopping 59 turnovers, with Bronx accounting for 31 of those to the Mad Titans' 28, and ASA-Manhattan held a slim 51-45 edge in the rebounding department.

The Broncos will now have four days off before returning to the court on Tuesday evening, as Bronx will host BMCC in a crucial CUNYAC meeting. The Broncos suffered an 82-81 loss to the Panthers back on December 10 at BMCC, so Bronx will be looking for some redemption in the conference showdown at the Alumni Gym. Start-time is scheduled for 7:00pm.
 
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