New York, NY - The Hunter women's basketball team will play in the championship game of the CUNYAC Tournament looking to repeat as champions. Earning the #2 seed, the Hawks (16-10, 11-3 CUNYAC) will match up with the #1 Bulldogs of Brooklyn College (20-6, 14-0) this Friday at York College with a tip-off time of 5:30pm.
 
Previous Meetings
Two of Hunter's three conference losses came at the hands of Brooklyn College, the first back on January 6th when the Bulldogs won by a score of 67-63 at the Sportsplex. The Purple and Gold had a difficult time when they traveled to Brooklyn dropping their second matchup 82-42.
 
Hunter in the CUNYAC Finals
The Hawks have 21 CUNYAC Final appearances under their belt and nine of them have resulted in Championships. During the span from the 1997-98 season through the 2003-04 season, Hunter was dominant, appearing in all eight championship games and taking home five of them. Last season, the Hawks defeated Brooklyn College for their first conference title since 2004.

Impact Seniors 
Senior forward Janine Conway was named to the 2019 CUNYAC All-Star First Team, having averaged 18.1 points in 30 minutes per game in the regular-season. The senior has been a force this season offensively ranking third in the conference in scoring while shooting 43 percent from the field. She shot 86.4 percent (65-of-80) from the foul line to lead the team. Last season, she was named the CUNYAC Tournament MVP after dropping 21 points in the finals.
 
Senior guard Theresa Leung was named to the 2019 CUNYAC All-Star Second Team. She is a four-year starter who had the best assist/turnover ratio (2.0) in the league. Leung averaged 12.3 points per game and led the Hawks with 3.6 assists per game in the regular-season.
 
Phoebe Valenton has been crucial to the team's success this season ranking third on the team in scoring at 11 points per game. The Maspeth, New York native has led the team defensively ranking first on the team in steals (68), while ranking fourth on the team in rebounding. Valenton is coming into the finals on a hot streak after her career high 32 points lifted the Hawks over John Jay 72-62.
 

 
Coach of the Year Competiton
Sixth-year head coach, John Garrett, was named the 2019 CUNYAC Coach of the Year last season, leading his squad to a 15-1 record in league play (16- 9 overall). His team won the regular season title for the first time since 2004 (North Division). Garrett has guided his team to post season play in each of his six years. Including the semi-final game a few days ago, his CUNYAC playoff record stands at 6-4.
 
Brooklyn is led by 2020 CUNYAC Coach of Year Alex Lang, who is in his 18^th season. Lang has led his team to the finals for six consecutive seasons. Since 2008, Brooklyn has turned into a powerhouse in the conference as they have posted a record of 250-91.
 
Scouting Brooklyn
The Bulldogs are no strangers to the CUNYAC finals, having made an appearance in eight of the last nine championships. They have two titles in their program's history; the first ever in 1980 and most recently, 2018. They check in as the #1 seed and sport a 20-6, 14-0 CUNYAC mark.
 
Brooklyn has three players that average double digit scoring and are led by CUNYAC Player of the Year, Chanel Jemmott who boasts 15.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest. First team All-Star Taylor George leads the team in assists per game at 3.7 while ranking second in points per game at 13.0. Rounding out the double digit scorers for the Bulldogs is Erika James averaging 10.7 ppg. James is a three point marksmen leading the team in three's made while shooting 44 percent from downtown on the year. The Bulldogs have won by an average margin of 22.5 points ranking 7^th nationally.
 
Fan Guide to the Game
Tip-off at York College is scheduled for 5:30pm. Tickets to the Championship are free but must be obtained prior to entry at York. Click here for tickets. Follow along with live stats and if you can't make the game, be sure to watch all the action on the live webcast.