No Sleep After Brooklyn, Men's Basketball Can't Hold Off Bulldogs

By Curtis AshleySports WriterIf the City College Men's basketball team wanted to prove to the rest of the conference that they're better, more dynamic than what some people might think, the game against Brooklyn College on Wednesday night was the perfect showcase. Unfortunately for them, things did not go as planned, and the guys dropped another game, losing to the Bulldogs 78-87.The loss to Brooklyn presents City with their first road loss of the season, after having won four straight when playing outside of the Nat Holman Gym. Their overall record falls to 9-8, and the team falls below the.500 mark in the conference, with a 4-5 record. After a day full of conference match-ups, the Beavers still find themselves in the middle of the pack, at the number five spot.Khalil Hamer had a near triple-double in the game, scoring 20 points, as well as getting 11 rebounds and nine assists. Robert Dionisio had 16 points and eight rebounds. Mark Richards, David Solano, and Ram Chadha also scored in double-digits. Richards had 12, Solano had 11, and Chadha had 10.Even with multiple players performing at a high level on offense, the Beavers were unable to pull off the upset against the team currently first in the conference."Any loss kinda stings. They went on a 18-0 run, it happened so fast," Chadha had to say after the game. "We're a young team, so we're gonna learn. They've been playing together for a long time, so they know how to keep their composure.""Little, stupid turnovers and stupid quick shots. We gotta work on that."There was that, and then there was also the lack of defense. The team ended the night with only one steal and two blocks. The team did however end with 17 personal fouls, 11 of them coming in the second half, at crucial moments. City led by nine with 12 minutes remaining, their largest lead of the game. City fought hard, trying to maintain the lead, but would eventually hit a brick-wall. The team scored their final points of the game off a Solano three-pointer, with over seven minutes remaining in the game. From that point on, everyone plateaued."We talked in the locker room about managing the game, managing the time of possession of the game. We're just not doing a good job of that. We get a seven or eight point lead and we think we're playing with house money," Head Coach Tom Green said. "It's not any one guy, it's us collectively. We made probably four or five of the craziest passes tonight that I've ever seen us make this year.It's clear that the team is on the same page about what has been going on lately. They seem aware of their mistakes, now it's time to figure out how to fix the mistakes and move on. But they'll only have roughly 48 hours to do so before their next game against York College on Friday.This is their second time facing the Cardinals this season, after narrowly coming out with a win on December 4th when they headed to Jamaica, Queens. The guys will face them on their own court for the Friday night match-up, looking to turn things around fast."We already beat York, so we know how to handle them. It's just a matter of going out there and doing it," Solano said."We just have to be composed. We beat them before and we just have to be hungry. We can't take them lightly cause the conference is up for grabs," Dionisio added.The guys can put themselves in the number four spot in the conference with a win over York, and a little help from Hunter College. On Friday, if City beats York, and Hunter defeats Baruch, the fourth spot is theirs for the moment. A lot of things are happening in the conference, and City, in the midst of it all, still has a chance to salvage what's left of the season.