One for the Books
Beavers lose in CUNYAC finals but make program history.
The City College Beavers and the College of Staten Island Dolphins faced off on Thursday, February 24, for the 2017 CUNYAC Men’s Basketball Championship game in the Nat Holman Gymnasium.
Despite a close first half, the Beavers were unable to end their title drought, falling to the Dolphins 66–77. This game marked the third time these two teams met during the 2016–2017 season, with their first match in December and their second in January. Just like the championship match, the first two ended with a loss for the Beavers.
The energy from the audience filled the gym as fans from both sides roared. The Beavers fed off this energy in the first half–– shooting 50 percent from the three-point line and leading the Dolphins 35–33 before the second half.
“First half, I felt we played well. We were up by about 10 points at one time,” Senior guard Khalil Hamer commented. Hamer finished the game Thursday night with 16 points, six assists, and two steals. “I felt we had a lot of momentum, we were moving the ball well, getting out in transition, and playing good defense.”
Though the Beavers held a lead, their defense wasn’t as strong as their offense. Chants from the fans urged them to pick up on defense as the Dolphins continued to pull down boards. CSI rebounded nearly twice as many balls as CCNY, grabbing 23 to City’s 12.
During the second half, the Beavers shot just as well from the three-point line (47.6 percent) and managed to pick up 22 more rebounds. Mark Richards, Khalil Hamer, and Robbie Dionisio led the way as they managed to pick up five rebounds each in the second half (respectively, gathering nine, seven, and eight rebounds in total).
Despite stronger rebounding and a sharp offense, the Beavers ended up with twice as many turnovers than when they started the second half — going from seven turnovers to 15 by the end of the game. The Dolphins, on the other hand, only ended up with one turnover in the second half, ending with 14 in total.
“I feel like we didn’t come out with same fire, offensively or defensively. We were a step slow on defense, a little stagnant on offense, and CSI capitalized on it and made it tough for us to get back in the game,” Hamer said about the Beaver’s second half play.
Although the Beavers fell short of bringing the title home to CCNY, the 2016–2017 season is one to remember. This year, the men’s basketball team posted a 17–9 record, their best in the program’s history since the 1949–1950 season — the very Beavers led by Nat Holman himself. The 2016–2017 squad also ended the program’s 14-year absence from the CUNYAC Championship game.
“A lot of people doubted us and thought we had a lackluster season for the CCNY books, but we really turned it around and focused,” Hamer said. “We never pointed fingers at each other for losses and took anything personal on the floor. We just played hard, came to handle business, and proved people wrong and I love my guys for that. Yeah we lost the championship game but my team is full of champions.”
*Originally published in March 2017 print issue of The Campus magazine*
