Men’s Basketball takes down Bronx CC in preseason opener

BY Jeff WeisingerSenior Sports Editor It wasn’t pretty, nor an ideal way to “win” a scrimmage or preseason opening game, however there are positives to take away from the CCNY Men’s basketball team’s 68-60 win over Bronx Community College Tuesday night.“It was our first scrimmage,” head coach Tom Green said of his team’s performance in their first live action against another opponent this year. “I anticipated a bunch of mistakes, I saw a lot of mistakes. I also saw some positive things.“We’re a work in progress and it’s going to take some time to bring us all together. But I like the chemistry, I like our guys, they work hard in practice every day, they listen and it’s just a matter of how much we can teach them.”Antony Lewis and Darius Rhodes both made their CCNY returns on the night, picking up where they left off last season. Lewis scored a game-high 13 points while Rhodes scored 12 in his return to the lineup after tearing his ACL at Brooklyn College on Nov. 25, 2014.“It was good, it was fun,” Rhodes said. “I had pregame jitters, but I did okay for the game. I feel like I could do better and will do better.”“I though Darius played well,” Green added. “He came in, he was aggressive offensively, the first shot he took he hit. He was looking for his and I expect him to look for his shot.”Overall, Rhodes went 2-for-5 from the court with four rebounds, however nailed eight of his nine free throws. City looked solid at the free throw line for the first time in a long time going 18-for-22 from the line.Khalil Hamer was the only other Beaver to record double digit scoring with 10 points.City started anxiously, scoring the initial bucket, however the Broncos would give the Beavers fits throughout the first half as, once again, turnovers haunted City midway through the first, opening the door for Bronx CC to take charge. The strong surge by the Broncos guided them to a 31-24 halftime lead over CCNY.The Beavers responded in the second half, playing more calmly and under control, outscoring Bronx 34-19 in the second frame.Both teams played an extra frame to get the rest of their players some minutes. Rob Green made his debut for the Beavers in the extra frame, going 2-for-3 from the court while snatching down a rebound. Freshmen Ignas Pamparas and Bilal Brakita also made their CCNY debuts, but went a combined 0-for-5 from the court with Pamparas bringing down a pair of rebounds.