York Clinches CUNYAC South Division Title

Phipps had 14 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks. Photo Verity Rollins

The York College men's basketball team clinched its third consecutive City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) South Division regular season title with an 83-68 win over rival Staten Island on Friday night. York overcame a nine-point halftime deficit by outscoring the Dolphins 50-26 in the second half in front of a raucous York crowd on Fan/Professor Appreciation Night and Senior Night. The win guarantees the Cardinals the top overall seed in next week's CUNYAC playoffs. York (17-7, 10-3 CUNYAC) can finish tied with Brooklyn overall, but the Cardinals hold the tiebreaker over the Bridges.

The Cardinals looked to be in control early in the contest. A three-pointer by Michael Salamanca gave York an 18-8 lead just 7:27 into the game. However, Staten Island rebounded and was lights out from the field through the remainder of the first half, shooting 7-12 from three-point range. With York leading 26-19, the Dolphins went on a furious 12-0 run where they went 4-4 from the field, including two three-pointers. Staten Island continued to shoot well and extended their lead to nine points, 42-33, at halftime.

However, York adjusted during halftime and shut down their outside shooters in the second half. After shooting 50 percent from the field in the first half, the Cardinals held Staten Island to just 29.6 percent shooting in the second. The Cardinals fell behind by 11 points, 44-33, right after halftime but then York turned it on with a 22-3 run over a seven-minute span. A jumper by Aaron Wilson at the 12:03 mark capped off the rally, giving York a 55-47 advantage. Wilson caught fire during the run, scoring 11 points and connecting on three baskets from beyond the arc. York did not relinquish the lead the rest of the way and led by as many as 18 points in the second half.

Three players recorded double-doubles for York. Wilson led all scorers with 19 points to go along with ten rebounds and four assists. Meanwhile the freshman duo of Marcel Esonwune and Omari Phipps continues to cause havoc in the post.

Esonwune finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals, while Phipps had 14 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks. Also, Chris Roberts added 12 points and seven boards, while Michael Salamanca had nine points, seven assists, and six rebounds. In addition, Rodney Bennett had six points on two key three-pointers during the game.

York will now wait to see who they will host in the first round of the CUNYAC Playoffs. The CUNYAC quarterfinals will be on Saturday, February 16 at 1 p.m. in the York College gymnasium.

If Brooklyn College should defeat CCNY on Saturday, they will finish with an identical 10-3 conference record. They also split two games this season and each holds a 6-2 record in South divisional play. Therefore, the next tiebreaker goes to point differential in games played against each other.

York outscored Brooklyn College by five points combined in their two contests, giving them the edge and the South Division title.