Men’s Basketball Stands Tall At York

BY Curtis AshleySports writerThe City College Men’s Basketball team continues to play great basketball, as they get the win over York College 67-65 in a game that wasn’t decided until the last possession.The Beavers headed to Jamaica, Queens to face the Cardinals with a two-game winning-streak riding on their backs. They had a 3-2 record, including a loss to Brooklyn, the only other CUNYAC team they had faced until Friday night. York College, a team struggling early in the season, came into the game 2-5, also with a CUNYAC record of 0-1.The first half of the game was as tight as possible. York took an early lead, but CCNY came back to quickly tie the game at 15. There were a multitude of ties, and lead changes in favor of both teams, allowing neither side an opportunity to open up any lead. Turnovers plagued both teams in the first half, City with nine, and York with 10.“Just too many turnovers for me,” Head Coach Tom Green mentioned after the game.By the end of the half, it was 33-31, City with the lead. Sophomore guard David Solano led the game in scoring with 12 points, while junior guard Khalil Hamer led the game with six assists.The second half brought much of the same tug-of-war kind of play we had seen in the first. City was able to gain an 11-point lead nearly seven minutes into the second half, but turnovers and missed opportunities continued to occur for the Beavers on offense. After leading 51-40, City allowed a 19-9 run by York to tie the game at 60 with just over three minutes left. The game was tied again at 65 with just under a minute to go in the game.In the end, it would come down to two free throws by Khalil Hamer to win the game. Hamer ended the game with eight points, and a game-high 13 assists.“I feel like when everybody’s clicking, we’re a much better team,” Hamer said. “I put that burden on myself to make sure we’re starting off well.”“All in all, I’m just really happy to come to Queens and get a 'W,' and head home with a victory,” Green said.The win does a lot for CCNY regarding this season, as they become 4-2 overall, 1-1 in the conference. The win also marks the first time CCNY has won three games in a row since the 2012-2013 season, over two years ago.“I feel like this year we’re gonna make waves,” Hamer said. “When everybody’s healthy, when everybody’s clicking, we’ll make some noise this season.”“When you win, you’re in a great frame of mind,” Green added. “I think we’re getting a little bit better. Slowly but surely I think we’re getting a little bit better.”After this game, City begins a five-game stretch at home. Three of the five games will be against conference opponents, including their next game against John Jay College on December 8th. The Beavers face them on Hall of Fame night in the Nat Holman Gymnasium. The last time City faced John Jay at home was back in February, when they beat the Bloodhounds 79-71.The Beavers look to keep the fire going in front of their home crowd to finish off the calendar year. They will be aiming to go 5-2 overall, as well as 2-1 in the CUNYAC, on Tuesday night.