The men's basketball team fell 61–51 to the Kean University Cougars on Saturday afternoon in Union, New Jersey.
The two teams were evenly matched early, playing to a 12–12 tie before the Cougars used a key first-half run to build a 29–19 halftime advantage. Kean later extended its lead to as many as 13 points midway through the second half, but the Bearcats battled back, trimming the deficit to 50–45 with 4:11 remaining.
However, the Cougars sealed the game at the free-throw line, connecting on 9 of 10 attempts in the final three minutes to secure the home victory at Harwood Arena.
Neither team shot the ball well, with both finishing at 32 percent from the field. The struggles continued from long range, as Kean went 3-for-24 from three-point distance while the Bearcats finished 2-of-16. Ultimately, the Cougars' late first-half surge proved to be the difference.
Brandon Sun led the Bearcats with a Baruch career-high 13 points. Leyi Adebayo added 11 points, and Trevon Coppin contributed 10. Kean was paced by Kareem Irby and Malachi Jeffers-Viera, who scored 12 points each.
The Bearcats will return to action on Tuesday with a 6:00 p.m. home contest against Stevens.
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