Box Score

New York, NY – Senior guard Shay Branch El-Vielot (Cambria Heights, NY/Canarsie) went to the line with a little over a second left in the game and sank both free throws to give the Hawks a thrilling 57-55 victory over the seventh-seeded City College of New York in the quarterfinal round of the 2010 CUNYAC / Con Edison Basketball Championship on Sunday at the Hunter Sportsplex.

After a close first half, Hunter was able to pull away and hold a 33-23 lead at halftime. They would extend this lead to 14 in the second half, but 11 second half turnovers opened the door for the Beavers to make a run, which they did. Slowly chipping away at the lead, CCNY found themselves trailing by just three points with 18 seconds left to play. Then following two missed Hunter free throws, CCNY sophomore guard Tai-Danae Bradley, who played just ten minutes, hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 55 with a little over two seconds on the clock. Hunter then inbounded the ball and in an unexpected twist, CCNY freshman Sajidah Pressley was called for a foul, sending Branch El-Vielot who sank both. CCNY's last chance, half-court attempt then fell short and the Hawks picked up a hard fought victory.

Branch El-Vielot finished the game with 17 points, shooting 7-of-9 from the line and also had five steals. Junior guard Shamar Stewartson (Springfield Gardens, NY/Far Rockaway) added 17 points, four assits and four steals, while senior center Juanita Whyms (Far Rockaway, NY/Stella Maris) recorded her 14th double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

For the Beavers, freshman forward Taryn VanEsselstyn finished with a game high 21 points and alos had 12 rebounds, followed by junior center Ashley Straughn with 11 points and a game high 15 rebounds.

The Hawks now advance to the semifinal round where they will face #6 Lehman College who pulled out an upset and defeated #3 Brooklyn on Sunday. The semifinal game will be played on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Nat Holman Gymnasium on the campus of CCNY. A limited number of tickets are available for both Tuesday's men's game and Wednesday's women's game, so be sure to stop by the Athletics main office, WB-317 to get your free tickets so you can support your Hunter Hawks.