By Adam Ronis
Sometimes timing is everything. York College entered the CUNY men's basketball championship game against Baruch College with a 15-game winning streak, a streak bound to come to an end.
Baruch was the team to end York's winning streak, capturing their first CUNY championship in 34 years with a thrilling 52-50 victory at the College of Staten Island on Friday night. Baruch (19-8) receives an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III tournament with the win. For York, the favorites to win, it was the sixth consecutive appearance in the championship, but the team's fifth loss.
The game was not decided until the final possession. Len Mitchell put Baruch ahead, 52-50, after sinking one of his two free throws with 30 seconds remaining. With the free throw Mitchell became the all-time leading scorer in Baruch history with 1,544 points. York (19-8) came down court and was trying to get the ball in the paint area to 7-foot Neil Edwards, but the Statesmen did a good job of denying him the ball.
Jason Daniel finally decided to take a shot with five seconds left that had everyone holding their breath. His three-point attempt from the top of the key hit the back of the rim to end the hopes of a CUNY championship for the Cardinals. York head coach Ron St. John decided against calling a timeout to set up a play.
“The flow came naturally so I let it go,” St. John said. “If we didn't move the ball well I would have called a timeout. Daniel had a good shot he can hit. He makes it and we win. I credit him for taking the big shot.”
“I'm looking at the clock, looking at the ball, looking at the clock, looking at the ball, saying please don't get a shot,” Baruch head coach Ray Rankis said about his thoughts on the final possession.
“These were two real good teams,” Lou Pento said, the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. “It was a game of spurts. We had the bigger one at the end. We were the only ones who didn't think we were an underdog. We definitely shocked them.”
Pento scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds, including eight offensive boards.
York couldn't buy a bucket in the second half, shooting a paltry 26 percent on 6-for-23 shooting. For a stretch of 8:06 of the second half, the Cardinals were held scoreless. Baruch did not shoot much better, going 10-for-29 (34 percent), but they capitalized on second and third opportunities. The Statesmen won the battle on the glass, 45-31, which proved to be the major difference in the game.
“We thrive off our defense,” Baruch guard Mitchell said. “We locked them down defensively in the second half.” Mitchell scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Statesmen defense did a good job of holding Edwards down. Edwards, the Player of the Year in CUNY, scored two quick baskets to open the game and it appeared he was headed for a big game. However, the Statesmen defense clamped down, especially junior Dave Thomas, who gave up eight inches in height. Thomas, a 6-foot-4 center, is regarded as one of the best defensive big men in the conference. Edwards was limited to 2-for-10 shooting the rest of the game. Edwards finished with eight points, six rebounds and six blocks.
“They came at me,” Edwards said. “It was tough. We didn't execute down the stretch. We didn't do the things that got us 15 straight victories. You can't rely on talent all the time. You have to play good fundamental basketball. It's extremely frustrating.”
“They did a phenomenal job on Edwards,” St. John said. “[Thomas] was working hard. He wouldn't allow [Edwards] to get the ball in the box. He's unstoppable when he gets the ball in the box.”
York held a 32-24 lead at the half. Baruch continually cut the lead to three points early in the second half, but York responded with a big play each time. After a three by Pento, a block by Edwards led to a long-range two by Daniel. Mitchell followed with a jumper and Edwards scored on the other end to push the lead back to five points.
Mitchell faked a three and drove the baseline for the score to cut the deficit to 40-37 with 14:31 left. Once again the Cardinals answered as William Short nailed a three-pointer. After that, York did not have an answer. Baruch ensued to go on a 13-0 run over the next eight minutes. A baseline jumper by Pento tied the game at 43 and a jumper by Tyrone Cohen (13 points) off a Baruch steal gave them their first lead of the game at 45-43 with 7:16 remaining. The Statesmen never relinquished the lead.
“This was a hard loss for us,” St. John said. “I still think we are the best team in the conference. We didn't come to play in the second half. We allowed them back into the game. Anybody could play well for two minutes and we gave them the opportunity. Give credit to them. They made it tough.”
Daniel led York with 14 points and was selected to the All-Tournament team. Edwards, Mitchell, and Cohen were also named to the team.
The season may not be over for York. According to St. John, usually only the champion of the CUNY conference is selected to go to the NCAA tournament, but he believes there is a good chance they may select his team as well. They could also play in the ECAC championships.
