Fans of the Baruch Bearcats and Hunter Hawks lined up outside of Baruch’s building on Feb. 6, waiting to get into the gymnasium for the 19th annual Battle of Lexington.  The Battle of Lex is named after the natural rivals, Baruch College and Hunter College, both located on Lexington Avenue, and is an annual double-header basketball game. While the women suffered a tough loss this year, snapping an eight-game win streak, the men’s team celebrated a decisive victory. The final score of the women’s game was 70-58 and the men’s was 99-69.

“I’ve been playing the sport since I was in third grade, but I’ve never really experienced something like this,” Captain Angie Bacarella of the Baruch Women’s Basketball Team said.

“I think the sport of basketball can really bring people together,” Baruch’s Assistant Athletic Director Dima Kamenshchik, who is also in charge of equipment, oversees intramurals, and serves as Head Men’s Soccer Coach, has been working with Baruch since the first Battle of Lex.

“It’s such a different vibe every year, but it’s always great because the idea continues to stay the same: have an environment that collects everyone and have an event where student-athletes can feel part of something special,” Kamenshchik said.

The night opened with the women’s game, which kept fans and onlookers in suspense. The Bearcats led the first half with a score of 30-25.

“That’s an exciting part of the game, right? It should be that way when two teams are playing: there should be a back and forth that’s happening,” Kamenshchik said about the close score.

After a half time celebration consisting of a friendly game of knockout basketball featuring audience members, stellar dance moves from Bernie, and a t-shirt toss, the game continued. The Hawks’ score climbed, turning in their favor in the last few minutes of the third quarter. The game turned in Hunter’s favor in the final 2:43 of the third quarter. The visiting Hawks scored 11 of the last 12 points to go from a Bearcat lead of 41-38 to a Hunter lead of 49-42.

Bacarella described this game as a “tough loss,” but one that they will be able to use as a lesson for their last three games of the season before playoffs.

“I think our defense definitely needed to be better because our defense is going to lead to our offense,” Bacarella responded when asked what the team could have done differently. “Our defense was off, which is why we couldn’t make shots. I think when we play an aggressive defense, and we start trapping and pressing, then we can get a lot of steals and easy baskets.”

Although disappointed by the loss, Bacarella also said she is thankful for the support shown by all the students who came from both campuses to support the teams. “Out of the four years I’ve been here, this is probably the most we’ve ever had since the start of the game, so it’s really nice.”

Members of the audience during the women’s game included CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez, President David Wu of Baruch College, and President Nancy Cantor of Hunter College. Other teams, including Baruch’s cross country and women’s softball teams, came to cheer their fellow student-athletes.

The men’s basketball team also showed their support for the women’s team from the bleachers before starting their own game at 7:30 p.m. In between the women’s and men’s games, Baruch students lined up for free food and refreshments in the tailgate area. During the men’s game, the Bearcats took over the court and dominated. One sign from an audience member read “Get back on the 6.” Another read, “Lexington stays blue.”

Baruch’s team was led by Gerard Nicholson, who reached 1000 career points during his time as a student at Baruch and previously played for FDU Florham. The Baruch team made 81% of their free throws, compared with Hunter’s 63.6%. They also had fewer turnovers and a substantially higher field goal percentage, altogether resulting in a win of 99-69.

This win was deemed an “easy victory” by Kamenshchik. “We like to work and do this job precisely for days like this when we can bring the community together and people together, give out shirts, provide food and a festive environment so people can really feel like they are part of an event that is community based, that brings everyone together to cheer for a common goal.”

The night ended with food for Baruch students at Street Taco on 3rd Avenue: a time to decompress, unwind and debrief.