New York, N.Y. - The #1 seeded Hunter College women's basketball team defeated #4 CCNY, 92-61, on Tuesday night in the CUNYAC semifinals to advance to the championship game for the first time in five years.

The Hawks (17-9, 15-1 CUNYAC) were dominant on both sides of the ball, forcing 23 Beaver (16-11, 10-6) turnovers, while shooting an impressive 55.0 percent from the floor for their second-best mark of the season. In comparison, the Purple and Gold committed just nine turnovers in the win, while the Beavers recorded a 35.7 field goal percentage.

It was a high scoring game from the beginning as the Hawks scored 24 points in the first quarter, but CCNY posted five three-pointers to trail by just five points going into the second. The Hawks started their run immediately as Janine Conway got a steal and a fastbreak layup up to open up the next quarter, sparking a 19-6 run for the Purple and Gold to make the score 43-25.

It was a well-balanced effort in the second with five Hawks contributing points to give Hunter the 51-31 halftime advantage.

The Beavers went on a small run to start the third quarter, but with 5:29 on the clock the Hawks took control, outscoring CCNY 17-0 to close out the quarter with a 75-39 lead. Jade Aponte scored 13 of Hunter's 24 points in the ten-minute span.

The Hawks finished it off in the third, never allowing the Beavers to close the gap to less than 31 points to get the convincing 92-61 victory.

Aponte led the team with 29 points for her seventh-straight 20-point game. Phoebe Valenton followed by registering 15 points off the bench on a 7-10 shooting effort, while chipping in three steals.

Theresa Leung posted 14 points in the victory, dishing out five assists and hitting 3-5 from behind the arc. Ashley Arias recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds to help the team. Marlena Budna added eight boards in the win, while Conway recorded a team-high seven steals.

Hunter will look to win their first CUNYAC title in 15 years on Friday, February 22 when they take on #2 seeded Brooklyn College at the Sportsplex.