CUNYAC Sports: Basketball

All Graphics by Nafissatou Yattassaye

Editor's Note: The Paper is not affiliated with CUNYAC. These reports are independent and meant to provide a recap of the games our reporters attend.

By Nafissatou Yattassaye and Steven Hernandez

Lightning Strikes Again!

City College Beavers vs. Lehman College Lightnings 56-101

SH: A high-stakes match took place Thursday night: City College Beavers against Lehman College Lightnings in a point-heavy match. The Lightnings blew out the Beavers, 56-101, to win the 2025-2026 CUNYAC Championship title. The Beavers, led by guard Michael Bowman and forward Olabanjo Aborisade, fought hard to try to regain another CUNYAC championship after going 23 years without a title.  

Each half held a heavy fate for the Beavers. For some, this was almost expected after a narrow win just the night prior against the Brooklyn Bulldogs. While Lehman’s semi-final match against John Jay was held on Tuesday night, the semi-final conference between the Beavers and the Bulldogs was moved forward a day after a massive snowstorm hit the New York tri-state area. This change in dates left the Beavers with almost no rest time in between matches, a key detail that became very apparent during the match. Slower reaction speeds, missed 3-pointers, and a lacking defense that allowed the Lightnings players to quickly jump to a 10-point lead in the first half, a lead that only grew as the match continued. 

With a massive 21-point deficit as they walked back to the court for the second half of the match, the Beavers had to give up everything that they had, even to begin to catch up. For Lehman, this was just another game to add to their already large winning streak this year. A perfect 14-0 conference record with an overall record of 21-6, Lehman had the Beavers’ fate sealed. For every 3-point shot made, Lehman had points to return, keeping the second half an exciting back-and-forth fight in which neither team was letting down their chance to win. 

But no matter how hard they tried, the Beavers missed too many vital shots, turning the ball over, while Lehman returned the shots, scoring more points, and breaking past defenses as if they weren’t even there. With just 8 minutes left in the second half, the Lightnings had managed a 40-point lead, completely solidifying the win. This lead was not sufficient for the ex-Beaver, Ricardo Dixon, who scored his season’s highest points in a single game with 25 points. Lehman Lightnings concluded the game with 101 points, the first to go over 100 points in over 30 years of CUNYAC championships.  

In a post-game interview for CUNY Athletics, Lightning’s Coach, Steven Schulman, said he had spoken with the team in early January, stating, “Let’s just win them all,” and indeed proceeded to win their next six matches, leading up to the championship and winning the trophy as well. This victory was vital for Lehman as it was the team’s first championship in over 20 years. 

With only two returning players, Coach Schulman had a monumental task before him this season. This victory was especially monumental for Schulman, as he has been coaching at Lehman College for 24 years and has turned down many job offers to continue coaching there. With this win, Coach Schulman now has two championship titles with Lehman College, his first back in 2004 against City Tech. Coach Schulman also teaches physical education classes and is the Athletic Director at the High School of American Studies at Lehman College. 

City College’s Beavers end the 2025-2026 season in second place in the CUNYAC Championship, with a 5-9 conference record and an overall record of 8-20 wins and losses for the entire season.

Beavers Pull Massive Win Against Brooklyn Bulldogs 76-72

City College Beavers vs. Brooklyn College Bulldogs

SH: An eventful match took place on Wednesday night at the West Quad Center in Brooklyn, New York. Back-to-back shots in two separate overtime sets let the Beavers snag a win, with five points from free throws helping solidify the win. The final free throws allowed the Beaver to snag the win by four points and continue on the road for a championship. 

A troubling start for the Beavers in the first half of the match, a difference compared to their usual explosive beginnings. Trailing at a constant seven to ten point difference, the Beavers had an uphill battle to fight on both halves of the game. For the Beavers, this was a chance to rematch the Bulldogs after a terrible loss earlier in the month, losing by 7 points in that game as well. For the Bulldogs, this was their best conference record since the 2015-2016 season. 

Trailing from the first half of the match, the Beavers seemed to have finally woken up after halftime in the locker room, quite literally flipping the script in the second half. Brooklyn led 31-24 in the first half, while in the second, the Beavers held 31-24. For guard Michael Bowman, this was meant to be his game after a massive win the week prior against Baruch. But the Bulldogs had this in mind, blocking his shots and keeping guard around him. This shift allowed junior player Abdias Carcamo to snag 24 points in this game quietly. 

The first overtime was a tricky one, with both teams holding their own, including an insane 3-point shot from the logo by Bulldogs player 20, Thomas Hall. The long shot, just before the shot clock ran off, had the crowd roaring and gave the Bulldogs a 5-point lead. But the Beavers managed to catch up, holding the Bulldogs off for another overtime. The second overtime was where the Beavers sealed the deal. With key defensive moves to keep Brooklyn at bay with only 8 points scored, and converting five free throws, the Beavers were able to take the win with a four-point lead in the final seconds of the game. 

With this victory, the Beavers are now set to play in the 2026 CUNYAC Championship against Lehman College on Thursday, February 26th, at Hunter Sportsplex. Lehman College will be a tough game for City, after Lehman won against John Jay College on Tuesday night. This next match will be City College’s first championship appearance in 8 years. Lehman’s men's basketball team has an overall win-loss of 20-6 and is the top seed in the conference, almost the opposite of City College’s ratio of 7-19 and final seed.

City College Beavers vs. Baruch Bearcats 2/21/26 Recap:

NY: Our City College women's Beavers put their heart out on the court for the last time, after a successful regular season conference record, in the first round of playoffs against a talented Lehman Lighting team. The Beavers shot 30.2% from the field, 33.3% from the three-point line, and 54.5% from the free-throw line. Lehman shot  48.7% from the field, 46.4% from three, and 63.6% from the free-throw line. Junior Ashley Colon and senior Joscelyn Ramos led the pack with 12 points. Alongside them both, Blessings Joseph-Pascall and Ashley Subervi contributed 11 points each. Our City College women’s basketball team continues to keep their heads up regardless of their season coming to a complete end. This is a huge achievement for the program making it to the quarterfinals after many years and represents a strong upside for future seasons to come.

Photography by Steven Hernandez

City College Beavers Upset Against Baruch College Bobcats 72-70

SH: The Beavers pulled off a massive upset Saturday afternoon against the Bobcats, winning by 2 points and securing their spot in the CUNYAC Championship Semifinals. It was the opening match in the first round of the Men’s CUNYAC Championship at the ARC arena in Baruch College. For the Beavers, this was a massive win after the last five games ended in losses.

With a quick, high-point start, the Beavers took the lead, dominating for a good portion of the first half of the match, but the lead managed to slip away once the halftime buzzer rang. Going from a 10-point lead within the first five minutes to an 11-point deficit in the end seemed to really raise the stakes for the Beavers.

But the second half held a different fate for them, taking the lead and managing to maintain it for the majority of the half. The game continued with tense shots back-to-back. Ultimately, the Bobcats failed to catch up, allowing the Beavers to win the match and advance to the championship.

For senior guard Michael Bowman, it was an eventful game, managing to score 19 points throughout the match. His skills really shone during the game, raising the spirits of the small audience and, unknowingly, creating the uproar the team needed to win the match.

City College Beavers vs. Baruch Bearcats 2/17/26 Recap:

Senior Night was a blast at the Nat Hollman Gym. Our women and men Beavers celebrated 7 seniors, both transfers and those who have been at City College for 4 years. We appreciate our seniors and wish them the best in their careers after graduation. In addition to senior night, both programs celebrated securing the 6th spot in the playoffs. The playoffs start Saturday, and we are nearing the end of the basketball season.

Our City College women's Beavers put their all on the court for the last game of the season after a successful senior night, against a talented Baruch Bearcats team. The Beavers shot 32.1% from the field, 33.3% from the three-point line, and 50.0% from the free-throw line. The Bearcats shot 28.1 % from the field, 27.8% from three, and 52.6% from the free-throw line. Junior Ashley Colon led the pack with 14 points. Along with her, both Yasmin Loma Romero and Ashley Subervi contributed 9 points. Our City College women’s basketball team is set to play its first round playoff game Saturday, February 21st, at 1 pm against Lehman College.

Our City College men's Beavers ended their last season game with a loss after a successful senior night against the Baruch Bearcats squad. The Beavers shot 31.8% from the field, 13% from the three-point line, and 88.9% from the free-throw line. The Bearcats shot 48.8% from the field, 20.0% from three, and 84.0% from the free-throw line. Freshman Samuel Olubakin led the pack with 15 points, along with Davide Leye scoring 9 points. Both Camryn Reyes and Michael Bowman contributed 8 points each. Our City College men’s basketball team is set to play its first round playoff game on Saturday, February 21st, at 1 pm against Baruch College.

City College Beavers vs. Brooklyn College Bulldogs 2/6/26 Recap:

NY: It was a cold and snowy night outside Nat Hollam Gymnasium where our CCNY women’s basketball team took on, once again, the undefeated champions and the leading team in the CUNYAC conference, the Brooklyn College Bulldogs. The Beavers shot 21.3% from the field, 11.1% from the three-point line, and 57.1% from the free-throw line. The Brooklyn Bulldogs shot 45.3 % from the field, 16.1% from three, and 100% from the free-throw line. Despite the countless turnovers and struggle our Beavers faced on Friday night, they fought to the very end with grit and tenacity. Freshman Guard Blessings Joseph-Pascall led the squad with 11points, shooting 3-5 from the free-throw line. Along with her, senior Joscelyn Ramos contributed 7 points, and Yazmin Loma Romero contributed 4 points. Our City College women’s basketball team is set to play on Wednesday, February 11th, at 5 pm against Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn.

SH: It was an exciting, close game for the Beavers on Friday night against the Brooklyn College Bulldogs. While leading for the majority of both the first and second halves of the game, the Beavers managed to lose track of the lead, allowing the Bulldogs to catch up and gain the lead as the game’s halves were coming to an end. The second half was filled with many wide-open three-pointers that put each player who dared to try their skills to the test. With a total of 27 points made on both sides just from 3-point throws in the second half alone. The crowd was loud and supportive on both sides, chanting for the players whenever possession changed hands and erupting in cheers for every point scored by either team. The game’s conclusion was an exceptionally long one as well. Multiple fouls from both sides extended the final two minutes of the game into 15 minutes of a tense back-to-back struggle for possession of the ball. With five timeouts called from both teams within the final two minutes, the Bulldogs managed to gain five points to solidify the seven-point lead with less than two seconds on the clock. The final free-throw points came from player 5, Herbert Gary, who managed seven total points during the game. For City College, the Most Valued Player was number 21, Chris Popotte, who scored 20 points for the Beavers, far more than anyone else on either side. With this defeat, the Beaver’s basketball team stands at 6-16 for the season.

Welcome Back! Winter Break (2025-2026) Recap:

I hope everyone is having a great start to their semester and ready for more sports action! 

Both our CCNY women’s and men’s basketball teams kicked off the winter break facing great competition and rising above adversity. During the break, freshman guard Blessings Joseph-Pascall earned the title of Rookie of the Week after a dominating performance against both York College and Medgar Evers College. On the men’s side, senior point guard Justin Morty earned basketball player of the week after a breakout performance against Baruch College and Medgar Evers College. Congrats to both teams as we near the end of basketball season and enter playoff season! 

Our City College women Beavers picked up their first loss, after a successful winter break and win over York College, to a gritty Lehman Lightnings team. The Beavers shot 25.9% from the field, 0% from the three point line, and 52.4% from the free-throw line. The Lehman Lightning shot 33.3 % from the field, 16,7% from three, and 72.2% from the free-throw line. Elizabeth Herrera, a new member on the Beavers squad, led the pack with 10 points, shooting 4-7 from the free-throw line. Along with her, Ashley Colon also contributed 8 points, and Ashley Subervi contributed 7 points. Our City College women’s basketball team is set to play on Friday, February 6th, at 5pm against Brooklyn College at the Nat Hollman gym. 

Our City College men Beavers picked up their first loss, after a decent performance throughout the break and a win over York College, to the Lehman Lightning squad. The Beavers shot 35.9% from the field, 40% from the three-point line, and 68% from the free-throw line. The Lehman Lighting shot 40.4 % from the field, 33.3% from three, and 70.6% from the free-throw line. Abdias Carcamo led the pack with 24 points, along with Michael Bowman and Chris Popotte contributing 10 points each. Our City College men’s basketball team is set to play on Friday, February 6th, at 7pm against Brooklyn College at the Nat Hollman gym.

CUNYAC Sports Series 12/11 Recap: Basketball 

Thursday afternoon capped off the last game before the end of finals week on December 11th, where our CCNY women and men Beavers faced Hunter College in another double header matchup.

Our City College women Beavers picked up their second loss, after a 2-game-win streak, to a very gritty and hungry Hunter Hawks team. The Beavers shot 29.5%  from the field, 15.4% from the three-point line, and 55.6% from the free-throw line. The Hawks shot 50% from the field, 27.8% from three, and 62.9% from the free-throw line. CCNY’s shot selection wasn’t enough to stop this gritty team; however, what a great start to the 2025-2026 season the women Beavers had. Ashley Colon led the pack with 13 points, and Ashley Subervi contributed 10 points to assist the Beavers. The CCNY team is set to play next during the winter break, December 29th, at 5pm against De Sales University at the Nat Hollman gym.

Our City College men Beavers picked up their first win of the 2025-2026 season tournament against the Hunter Hawks. The Beavers shot 51.9 %  from the field, 26.7% from the three-point line, and 66.7% from the free-throw line. The Hawks shot 41.7% from the field, 30.8 % from three, and 58.8% from the free-throw line. This game was neck and neck, a battle on both, the offensive and defensive side of the floors that was well fought and won by the Beavers.  Senior Justin Morety led the pack with 24 points, along with Michael Bowman contributing 15 points, and Olabanjo Aborisade added an extra 11 points to the score board. The Beavers are set to play next against Division I Fairfield University, at 7pm on December 22nd, in Fairfield Connecticut.

CUNYAC Sports Series Weekend (12/5-12/7) Recap: Basketball 

This weekend was one jam-packed double header at Brooklyn College. The weekend started off on December 5th, when our CCNY women's and men's Beavers faced Brooklyn College on Friday evening.

Our City College women's team picked up their first loss, after a 2-game win streak, to a back-to-back CUNYAC championship team, the Brooklyn Bulldogs. The Beavers shot 9.3%  from the field, 10% from the three-point line, and 50% from the free-throw line. The Bulldogs shot 37.2 % from the field, 13% from three and 62.7% from the free throw line. CCNY’s defense wasn’t enough to stop this gritty team; however, their determination and willingness to keep playing represented resilience and perseverance. Freshman Blessings Joseph-Pascall led the pack with 8 points, shooting 8-16 from the free throw line, and both Ashley Colon and Ashley Subervi contributed 4 points each. The Beavers are set to play next Thursday, December 11, at 5 pm against Hunter College at the Nat Hollman gym.

Our City College men's team picked up their 6th loss after playing in the Cadet Mariner Classic tournament against the Brooklyn Bulldogs. The Beavers shot 21 %  from the field, 7.7% from the three-point line, and 66.7% from the free-throw line. The Bulldogs shot 44.6 % from the field, 35% from three, and 50% from the free-throw line. CCNY's shooting from the line wasn’t enough to outscore the Bulldogs; however, their willingness to show up to every game prepared to play shows their determination as they search for their first win of the season. Senior Justin Morety led the pack with 20 points, along with Michael Bowman contributing 6 points, and Olabanjo Aborisade added an extra 7 points to the scoreboard. The Beavers are set to play next Thursday, December 11, at 7 pm against Hunter College at the Nat Hollman gym.

CUNYAC Sports Series Weekend (11/21-11/23) Recap: Basketball 

This weekend was one jam-packed and filled with happiness and improvement.

The weekend started off on November 20th when our CCNY women Beavers faced Keystone College at the Nat Holman Gym on Friday night. The Beavers picked up their first win of the season at home, and the energy and vibes were high. The Beavers shot 30.5% from the field goal compared to the Giants shooting 27.6 % from the field. CCNY’s defense was a game changer within this matchup, rebounding the Giants on both ends of the floor 30-32, offensively and defensively. Junior shooting guard Ashley Colon led the pack with 17 points and 2 steals. Both senior and freshman guards, Joscelyn Ramos and Blessings Pascall-Joseph added an additional 11 points, leading to the win for the night. The Beavers proved that through hard work and resilience they are able to win, and that was seen this past Friday night. Excellent performance, and our Beavers play next on December 3rd against Pratt Institute.

On the men’s side, the Beavers are continuing to put up a fight against highly talented teams; however, they still look to get their first win of the season. This weekend, the Beavers played in the Cadet Mariner Classic where they competed on Friday night and Saturday afternoon against United States Coast Guard University and Mitchell College. There was a constant back-and-forth battle throughout the past two days. In the first matchup against Coast Guard University, the Beavers shot 42.6% from the field compared to the Bears’ 44.4%, which gave them the lead in both halves ultimately resulting in their first loss of the weekend.

In the second matchup against Mitchell College, the Beavers were neck and neck with the Mariners, only falling short 10 points and shooting 35.6 % from the field compared to Mitchell College's 34.4% goal. Our CCNY Men’s Basketball team is still in search of their first win, and it won’t be long until the team begins to glue together. The Beavers are set to play next on November 25th for their first home opener game against Western Connecticut State.

CUNYAC: Women’s Basketball - CCNY vs New Jersey City University-11/19

The 2025 CCNY Women’s Basketball home opener took place in the Nat Holman Gym against New Jersey City University. Leading the Beavers was freshman point guard Blessings Joseph-Pascall, from Brooklyn Law and Tech, who ended the game with 12 points, 2 rebounds, and shooting 8-12 from the free throw line. Sophomore Ashley Subervi contributed a current season high of 11 points and 6 rebounds, scoring 4-11 from the field to help keep the Beavers within reach before New Jersey City outran the lead, with 23-11 in the first half. New Jersey City shot 50.8% from the field goal, and leading the pack were Meghan Gentile, 25 points, and Na'tori Postell, 24 points. However, despite the final score of 50-90 in favor of New Jersey City, this Beavers team continues to show improvement and development as the season progresses.

CUNYAC: Men’s Basketball - CCNY vs Quinnipiac University-11/19

The CCNY Men’s Basketball played in their first exhibition game in Hamden, Connecticut, against Division I Quinnipiac University. Justin Morety led the Beavers throughout the night, scoring 22 points, 3assists, and shooting 10-17 from the field goal. Sophomore Chris Popotte contributed 8 points and 3 blocks, shooting 4-4 from the free throw line to help Morety against the Bobcats before they began to outscore the Beavers. Quinnipiac shot 44.4% from the three compared to CCNY shooting 14.8%. This allowed the Bobcats a huge lead throughout both halves. Leading the Bobcats were Samson Reilly, 29 points, and Keith McKnight, 20 points. However, despite the final score of 52-112, what great exposure this was for a Division III school to face up against a talented Division I and put up a great fight.

CUNYAC Sports Series Weekend (11/14-11/16) Recap: Basketball 

Our CCNY Beavers kicked off their first season tournaments this weekend, both going 0-2 on the women's and men’s side. On the women’s side, games were held at St. Joseph's University in Brooklyn, where the Beavers faced two talented teams: St.Joseph Long Island and the host team, St.Joseph Brooklyn. Through the endless hustle shown throughout both ends of the floor, the Beavers were only able to score 13.6 % from the field compared to St. Joseph Long Island’s 32.9% from the field to start the weekend off. In their second matchup of the weekend, the Beavers were able to pick up their offense, averaging 30.4% from the field, but that wasn’t enough to keep up with their second opponent, St. Joseph Brooklyn, who was 42.3% from the field. Despite the final scores, the Beavers continue to show improvement and resilience as the season starts to really settle in. Our women's CCNY Beavers play at home this Wednesday, November 19th, at 7 pm against New Jersey City University.

Similarly, on the men’s side, this weekend’s battle was held at the Greg Grant Tip-off Tournament, where they faced two talented teams, TCNJ and Johnson & Wales. There was a constant back-and-forth battle throughout the night. In the first matchup against TCNJ, the Beavers shot 46.7% from the field compared to TCNJ’s 53.6% shooting from the field to give them the lead in all 4 quarters, ultimately leading to their first loss of the weekend.  In the second matchup against Johnson & Wales, the Beavers were neck and neck with the Wildcats, only falling short 5 points and shooting 41.7% from the field compared to the Wildcats’ 52.1% field goal percentage. Despite their loss, the Beavers are a gritty, hungry team that continues to learn and grow underneath their new head coach, Daniel Colon. Our men's CCNY Beavers play on Wednesday, November 19th, at Quinnipiac University, at 7 pm.

CUNYAC: Women’s Basketball - CCNY vs Farmingdale

The 2025 CCNY Women’s Basketball opener was held at Farmingdale, showcasing a young and fairly new yet hungry roster. Freshman point guard Blessings Joseph-Pascall, from Brooklyn Law and Tech, ended the game with 11 points,  3 assists, and 3 steals. Leading the Beavers was junior Ashley Colon, adding a season high of 15 points so far, hitting 3-10 from the three-point line to close gaps throughout the game against a fearless Farmingdale squad. Senior guard Joscelyn Ramos also added a significant 11 points, 6-7 shooting from the free throw line. Sophomore Ashley Subervi added an extra 6 points off the bench for the Beavers when they began to close the lead, ending in the third quarter 36-46 in favor of Farmingdale. However, despite the final score of 43-68 Farmingdale, this new beavers team is showing grit and chemistry development.

CUNYAC: Men’s Basketball: CCNY vs Cairn

CCNY Men’s Basketball had their season debut at Cairn University, looking to start their season off with a win. CCNY is led by Daniel Colon, who entered his first year leading the Beavers, and through recruiting and practices, he is looking to shape the program and has high hopes for this fairly young squad. A tough battle between the Beavers and the Highlanders was fought from the start of the first half. The Highlanders, a gritty and hungry young program led by head coach Jason O’Connell, shot 58.2% from the floor compared to the Beavers’ 40.3% shooting from the floor. The Highlanders crashed the boards against the Beavers 28-21 on defensive rebound attempts while the Beavers out rebounded the Highlanders 6-5 through offensive rebound attempts. The CCNY Beavers were led by senior guard Justin Morety, scoring 20 points, racking up 3 steals and 3 assists. Senior Michael Bowman followed with an extra 18 points, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Despite the final score, 71-102 in favor of Cairn, this was a great first match up against the Highlanders to start the season off Monday evening. The CCNY Beavers play at the College of New Jersey this weekend from November 15-16 hoping to get their first win of the season.

CUNYAC: Women’s Basketball: CCNY vs Old Westbury

CCNY Women's basketball were looking for their first win of the season against SUNY Old Westbury on Wednesday evening. CCNY, led by Marcello Di Russo who enters his fifth year with the Beavers, and currently in his  second year as the head coach after being the assistant coach for three. He leads a fairly young team but with great upside and grit. A tough neck and neck battle was fought against the Panthers throughout all four quarters. The Panthers, a tough and young squad coached by Joe Pellicane, led the game shooting 28.8% from the floor compared to the Beavers’ 21.8% shooting from the floor. The Panthers had a shooting day going for themselves on their season debut shooting 20% from the three point line compared to the Beavers’ 5% from three. The CCNY Beavers were led by junior shooting guard Ashley Colon scoring 12 points and shooting 100 % from the free throw line.  Freshman guards Blessings Joseph-Pascall and Yazmin Loma Romero put up 8 points each to add to Colon’s 12. Despite the final score 39-43 in favor of Old Westbury, the Beavers put up a great fight up against the Panthers and will continue to compete. The CCNY Beavers play this Friday and Saturday, November 14 and 15, at St. Joseph University, looking to get their first win of the season.

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Nafissatou Yattassaye is a freshman at City College, majoring in Communications with a

concentration in Journalism. Writing allows her to escape reality and enter a realm where

she is free to express her creativity through words and phrases with simply the ink of her

pen!

Steven Hernandez is a freshman at City College, majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Specializing in sports reporting, he is currently following CCNY’s men’s soccer team with plans to follow more teams within the Beavers. Steven is also a full-time employee and a full-time student at City College.