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91
York College Cardinals YORK 2-10, 0-3 CUNYAC
92
Winner Medgar Evers Cougars MEDGAR 3-11, 1-2 CUNYAC
York College Cardinals YORK
2-10, 0-3 CUNYAC
91
Final
92
Medgar Evers Cougars MEDGAR
3-11, 1-2 CUNYAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
York College Cardinals YORK 50 41 91
Medgar Evers Cougars MEDGAR 46 46 92

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Jonathan Grimsley's game-winning basket at the buzzer gives Cougars 92-91 CUNYAC win over Cardinals

The Medgar Evers men's basketball team picked up a thrilling victory on Friday evening, defeating the Cardinals of York College in a classic CUNYAC game by a score of 92-91. With the win, the Cougars improved to 3-11 on the 2024-2025 campaign (1-2 CUNYAC), while York dipped to a mark of 2-10 on the season (0-3 CUNYAC).

Trailing 91-90 with 4.9 seconds left, Jonathan Grimsley received a pass in the front court and drove into the paint, pulling up from six feet away and getting a friendly role, as his shot dropped with no time remaining, giving Medgar Evers the victory and sending the Cougars Cave into a frenzy. For the evening, Grimsley finished with game-highs of 38 points and 17 rebounds. He also added five assists and tallied two steals.

In addition to Grimsley's heroics, Andre Evans Jr. scored 14 points, tied for the game-high of six assists, and grabbed five rebounds, and Ahmed Toure registered a double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Finally, it was Ryan Panagakos putting forth a solid effort, scoring 12 points, dishing four assists, and grabbing a pair of rebounds.

Despite the loss for York College, the Cardinals were paced by Brandon Barrett and Aidony Nivar, as they tied for the team-high of 21 points. Barrett's 12 rebounds were a team-best, and his four swatted shots led all players. Nivar contributed six rebounds and a pair of blocks. Michael Litchfield connected on four shots from downtown, finishing with 17 points, five assists, and a pair of rebounds, and Rohan Singh finalized his evening with 10 points, eight rebounds, and five dimes.

The opening half featured plenty of back-and-forth play. Trailing 18-11 with 13:11 remaining in the half, the Cougars put together a 13-4 run over a span of 3:04 to catapult ahead by a score of 24-22. Panagakos capped that run by connecting on a three-point basket while getting fouled. He would hit the ensuing free throw to complete the rare four-point play.

The CUNYAC foes continued to play each other close, with the game featuring tied scores of 29-29, 31-31, 38-38, and 40-44. Then, with the Cougars leading 44-43, York rattled off seven consecutive points (courtesy of a three-point basket by Litchfield, and a bucket apiece by Nivar and Singh) to snatch a 50-44 edge. Evans Jr.'s layup brought the Cougars to within four (50-46), and that would be the final bucket of the opening half, as Medgar Evers headed into the locker room trailing by just four.

Medgar Evers trailed 57-50 with 17:46 remaining in the game, but an 11-3 spurt over a span of 3:49 gave the Cougars a 61-60 edge. Grimsley scored nine of the team's 11 points during that aforementioned run.

Neither team would take more than a five-point advantage the remainder of the game, and it seemed as though every time York College pulled ahead, Medgar Evers drained a clutch bucket. The Cardinals led 78-76 with 6:25 left, but Toure's layup tied the game at 78-all. York later led 83-80 with 4:13 left, but a trifecta by Trevonne Tcha tied the contest at 83. And later, down 88-85 with 2:33 to go, Evans Jr. drilled a long triple to knot the contest at 88-all.

All of this competitive back-and-forth led to the heroics in the final minute. Trailing 91-88 with 17 seconds left, a Grimsley converted jumper brought the Cougars to within one at 91-90. Following a missed free throw on a one-and-one opportunity by Abdul Seck, Medgar Evers collected the rebound and called a timeout with eight seconds left.

Following another Medgar Evers timeout with four seconds left, the Cougars in-bounded the ball to Grimsley, who drive into the paint and pulled up from six feet away, drilling the shot and giving the Cougars the 92-91 victory.

For the game, the Cougars connected on 45.1 percent of their attempts from the floor (37-82), while the Cardinals hit on 31 of their 74 shots (41.9 percent). Medgar Evers held a 51-48 edge on the glass, while the Cardinals dished 25 assists compared to 23 for the hosts. York slightly won the turnover battle, committing 11 miscues to the Cougars' 12, and the Cardinals held an 8-5 edge in steals.

Medgar Evers will look to carry the momentum of this victory into Wednesday evening's game, as the Cougars will welcome Lehman College to the Cougars Cave for another CUNYAC clash. Start-time is scheduled for 7:00pm.
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