George Kunkel (Glendale, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) scored a career-high 31 points, Tammer Farid (Woodside, N.Y./Stuyvesant) hit seven 3-pointers and Adrian Serrano (Brooklyn, N.Y./Christ the King) scored all five of his points in the final 21 seconds to lift the Bearcats to an exciting 77-73 comeback victory against Medgar Evers College on Friday night in the ARC Arena.
The victory improves the Bearcats to 4-0 in conference home games and ends a two-game losing streak.
The Bearcats trailed the visiting Cougars, 73-70, with 31 seconds left, but Serrano nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game with 21 seconds left.
Medgar Evers was fouled on their next possession down court but missed both free throws to give Baruch back the ball on Kunkel’s 10th rebound with 10 seconds left.
The Bearcats quickly rushed up the ball up court but Serrano was fouled while trying to break away from a trap from just outside the 3-point line.
The Christ the King graduate calmly went to the free throw line to sink both free throws for a two-point advantage to the delight of the home crowd with five seconds left.
Medgar Evers quickly in-bounded the ball looking for the tie but solid defense by Laurence Smith (Bronx, N.Y./Frederick Douglass) created a steal and forced the Cougars to foul Tammer Farid with three seconds left.
The freshman, who nailed a near perfect 7-of-8 from 3-point range, hit both free throws for an insurmountable four-point lead to clinch the home victory.
Baruch ended the game by scoring the final seven points, despite trailing 73-70 with 31 seconds left.
Kunkel recorded a double-double and finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots. He also played smart defense down the stretch, despite playing with four fouls.
Farid finished with 24 points, including a perfect 4-for-4 from 3-point range in the second half.
Laurence Smith nearly had a double-double with 13 points, nine rebounds and five steals in another solid effort on defense.
Kallai Sharp (Brooklyn, N.Y./Edward R. Murrow) led Medgar Evers in scoring with 25 points, including 10-for-10 from the free throw line. Ronald Halloway (Brooklyn, N.Y./Boys & Girls) had 20 points and eight rebounds.
The Baruch Bearcats will return to action on Monday Night, Martin Luther King Day, with a 7:00 pm non-conference road game at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn.
