Photo by Demi Rodriguez
BY Curtis Ashley Sports writerThere was basketball being played in the Nat Holman Gymnasium on Monday night, and CCNY was a part of it, but it was anything but a game. They faced off against Touro College defeating them in embarrassing fashion 94-41.At first, it appeared those in attendance were in for a competitive game. City got the ball rolling early, getting ahead 8-0. Soon after Touro tied the game at 12, leading to an immediate timeout by Head Coach Tom Green.“We’ve had a couple games this year where we've started slow,” Green mentioned in a post-game interview. “I was just trying to put a stop to it as quick as I possibly could.”City definitely stopped whatever momentum Touro had built up in the first half, following the timeout. CCNY held them to a shallow .269 shooting percentage in the first half. City would also end the half with a dominating 48-19 lead.The second half brought only more success for the Beavers, and more upset to Touro. City held to Touro to a .283 shooting percentage on the night, meanwhile shooting .405 themselves. The three-ball was working for CCNY, as they went 10-for-25 for the night. The sophomore guard David Solano led the team in that department with three made shots from downtown. Sophomore forward Salvatore Palazzolo led the game in scoring, notching 20 points in just 19 minutes off the bench.“The day before a game, instead of just walking through plays, we actually played,” Palazzolo said. “We never walked through plays, so that aggressiveness carried over to the game.”Freshman guard Bilal Braktia came off the bench for the first time in his college career in this game. He had six points, two steals, and an assist in his 10 minutes of play.“I was pretty excited and I was just ready for my chance,” Braktia had to say. “When I got in, I was just playing under control and trying to set things up for my teammates and playing smart.”City’s next game won’t be nearly as the one on Monday night. The Beavers face the 2-5 York College Cardinals in Jamaica, Queens on Friday, just their second CUNYAC opponent of the season. In their last match-up against the Cardinals, City lost 70-60.“They’re always a good team, year-in and year-out,” Palazzolo stated. “Winning this game I think will set us up for the next two, three games.”City certainly looks optimistic as they hope to improve to 4-2 overall, and 1-1 in the CUNYAC.