Men's Basketball 12/12/2025 6:47:00 AM

Veteran Trevonne Tcha scores team-high 17 points in Cougars' 77-68 loss to CUNYAC foe Baruch at ARC Arena

The Medgar Evers College men's basketball team made a strong push to secure its first victory of the 2025-2026 campaign on Thursday evening, but ultimately fell short, suffering a 77-68 loss to CUNYAC foe Baruch. The thrilling CUNYAC clash took place at the ARC Arena in New York, NY. With the defeat, the Cougars dipped to a mark of 0-10 on the 2025-2026 campaign (0-2 CUNYAC), while the Bearcats improved to 4-5 (2-0 CUNYAC).

Despite the loss for the Cougars, veteran Trevonne Tcha connected on six of his 10 attempts from the floor, including three shots from downtown, to finish with a team-high 17 points. He also added two rebounds and a pair of assists, as well. Michael Perez drained three trifectas to finalize his evening with 12 points, four assists, and two steals, and Zachary Bussey put forth a solid all-around effort, contributing 11 points, team-highs of five rebounds and three steals, as well as two assists. Finally, it was Omari Hinds finishing with 10 points, four assists, and three rebounds.

In the victory for the Bearcats, Leyi Adebayo scored a game-high 24 points (9-12 FG, 4-4 FT) to go along with five rebounds and a pair of steals. Jack Gordon (10-11 FT) added 16 points while tying for the game-high of four assists, and Pete Douvres added 13 points and a pair of rebounds. Finally, it was veteran Luke Reese adding eight points, three rebounds, two assists, and a pair of steals.

Medgar Evers trailed 22-14 with 10:19 remaining in the half, before finishing the session strong, outscoring Baruch 19-12 to close to within one (34-33) after 20 minutes of action. During that solid stretch for the Cougars, Ahmed Toure led the charge with five points.

In the early stages of the second half, the teams were deadlocked twice (36-36 and 38-38), before the Cougars took a brief 43-41 advantage when Tcha converted on a triple with 13:54 remaining in the game. The game was later tied at 45-all, but the Bearcats put together a 7-0 run that was initiated after two made free-throws from Adebayo to catapult ahead, 52-45.

From that point forward, the Cougars were only able to get as close as four points down, and Baruch took its biggest largest lead of the game (72-60) after a triple by Douvres. That essentially put the game out of reach for Medgar Evers, with Baruch eventually going on to win the CUNYAC clash by nine (77-68).

Both teams shot the basketball very well, with Baruch being the more efficient team by a slim margin. The Bearcats connected on 52.9 percent of their attempts from the floor (27-51), while Medgar Evers earned a conversion rate of 50 percent (22-44). Both teams short very well from the free throw line, with the Bearcats connecting on 10 of 12 freebees (83.3 percent), and the Cougars misfiring on just three (8-11, 72.7 percent). The Bearcats held a commanding 34-16 edge on the glass, but Medgar Evers dished 14 assists to Baruch's 11. The Cougars held a slim 8-5 edge in steals, and both CUNYAC squads took care of the basketball well, combining for just 23 turnovers (Medgar Evers had 11, Baruch 12).

The Cougars will now have 16 days off before returning to the court for the Dr. Carol V. DeCosta/Go 4 the Goal Tournament on Sunday, December 28 at 1:00pm, as Medgar Evers will welcome Bridgewater College to the Cougars Cave. The other game of the tournament taking place that day will feature Wheaton (MA) against Middlebury College (3:00pm).

The consolation and championship games of the tournament will take place the following day (December 29) at 12:00pm and 2:00pm, respectively.

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