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Cougars MBB win
73
Pratt Institute Cannoneers PRATT 5-13
78
Winner MEDGAR MEDGAR 4-12
Pratt Institute Cannoneers PRATT
5-13
73
Final
78
MEDGAR MEDGAR
4-12
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Pratt Institute Cannoneers PRATT 32 41 73
MEDGAR MEDGAR 30 48 78

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Dante Simmons scores game-high 23 points to propel Cougars past Cannoneers, 78-73, on MLK Day

For the second consecutive season, the Medgar Evers College men's basketball team defeated Pratt Institute on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, this year defeating the Cannoneers at the Cougars Cave by a score of 78-73. With the victory, Medgar Evers snapped a seven game losing streak, improving to 4-12 on the year, while Pratt slipped to 5-12.

The Cougars, who came into the afternoon 0-7 in their home gymnasium, picked up a much-needed win, especially with Medgar Evers set to play nine consecutive pivotal CUNYAC games to close the 2022-2023 regular season.

Medgar Evers was led in the victory by sophomore Dante Simmons, as he connected on nine of his 11 attempts from the floor to finish with a game-high 23 points. He also snatched three rebounds, blocked three shots, and swiped three steals. Point guard Andre Evans Jr. hit three trifectas, finishing with 22 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and five steals, and Joshua Jean Pierre netted 12 points while grabbing five boards. Senior Mousa Sinera scored eight points while collecting a game-high 17 rebounds. He also added five dimes and tallied five steals. Jacob Green scored seven points, and Dimitri Weeks tallied a team-high seven assists.

For the visitors, Cameron Hatcher posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He also tallied a game-high eight assists. Ace Bibbs shot 6-of-12 from the field and scored a team-high 13 points. Patrick O'Gorman scored 14 points and registered five dimes, and Daniel Golub put forth a versatile effort with 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. Finally, it was Lucas Zamboni contributing 10 points.

In what was a tightly-contested game throughout, the non-conference borough clash featured nine ties and nine lead changes. Neither squad held a lead bigger than 10 on the afternoon. 

The Cougars, trailing 11-9 in the opening 8:32, ran off seven consecutive points to jump ahead by a score of 16-11. That aforementioned spurt featured four converted freebees by Sinera, and a trifecta by Evans Jr. Medgar Evers went up by as many as seven in the first half (24-17), but Pratt Institute outscored the Cougars 15-4 over a span of 6:20 to take a 32-28 advantage in the closing seconds of the session. Medgar Evers' Simmons converted on a bucket with four ticks left to pull the Cougars to within two (32-30) as the teams dashed into the locker room at halftime.

Pratt held four point edges twice (36-32 and 38-34), but a 19-6 Cougars run over a span of 4:15 put Medgar Evers ahead 53-44. Evans Jr. led the charge during that run, scoring eight points. The Cougars later took their biggest lead of the contest (65-55) with seven minutes to play, but a 15-3 Cannoneers run put Pratt back ahead 70-68 with 4:12 remaining. 

Later, with the game tied at 70 apiece and the Cougars in possession, Evans Jr. connected on a shot from downtown to put Medgar Evers ahead 73-70, a lead the Cougars would not relinquish. Overall, Pratt scored just three points in the final 4:12 of regulation, shooting 0-for-8 with three turnovers during that stretch.

Medgar Evers was very efficient from the floor, connecting on 27 of its 60 attempts (45 percent), compared to a 36.9 conversion rate for Pratt (24-65). Both teams struggled mightily at the line, as the Cannoneers missed nine freebees (19-28, 67.9 percent), and the Cougars missed a whopping 16 free throws (18-34, 52.9 percent). Medgar Evers held a 47-42 edge in the rebounding category, while also swatting six shots compared to four for the visitors. Each team committed 21 turnovers on the afternoon.

The Cougars will next return to the hardwood on Wednesday evening, as Medgar Evers welcomes CUNYAC foe John Jay College to Brooklyn. Start-time for the crucial conference clash is scheduled for 8:00pm.
 
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