Baruch College’s women’s basketball team played a great match against Medgar Evers on Saturday, Feb. 17, in the quarterfinal of the CUNYAC playoffs. The home game ended 65-46, with the Bearcats advancing to the semi-playoffs on Tuesday, Feb. 20.
The Bearcats held a 12-point lead over the Cougars, 20-8, at the end of the first quarter. With a strong defense that forced 37 total turnovers, 19 of them in the first half, the Bearcats kept up their guard throughout the game, careful to not let the Cougars gain the upper hand.
In the team’s 16th win of the season, all players collectively made efforts to secure a win. Notably, Baruch’s Mia Castillo scored 31 points in this game. Castillo is rounding out the season with 725 points scored thus far, averaging 27.9 points per game this season. She had eight rebounds, seven steals and five assists in Saturday’s game.
Castillo’s scoring efforts were matched by teammate Elissa Leung, who scored 21 points and had five assists and four steals. In their best win since the 2014-2015 season, great performances were also seen by D’Andre McRae, with 12 rebounds and five steals, and Madison Thornton-Lewis, with seven points and seven rebounds.
Trailing by 13 points leading into the second half, 37-24, the Cougars applied the pressure and scored 13 of the first 14 points by the end of the third quarter, closing the gap to 38-37.
But the Bearcats kept their momentum with 21 consecutive points, putting the scoreboard to 59-37 with four minutes and eight seconds left on the clock.
Even with a hefty lead, the Bearcats pushed forward, maintaining a strong defense and precise shooting to keep a steady rhythm throughout the remainder of the game.
Playing to the last minute, the final score 65-46 leads Baruch to the CUNYAC semifinals at John Jay College. The third-seeded Bearcats will play the second-seeded John Jay Bloodhounds, who ended their season 18-7, and 12-2 in the CUNYAC play.
In the last match in January of this year, John Jay held a 13-point lead over Baruch, 74-61. As the team prepares for the semifinals, the Bearcats hope they can continue the energy of this game into the next to secure a place in Friday’s championship game.
