NEW YORK, N.Y. — Hunter College men's basketball built an eight-point second-half lead behind sharp shooting and clutch passing, but a last-second layup sent the Hawks to a devastating 68–66 loss on the road Wednesday night.

After trailing by one at halftime, Hunter (2–9, 0–2 CUNYAC) came out firing to start the second, opening on a 14–2 run fueled by back-to-back buckets from Jeremiah Otasowie and JP Maaba. Maaba scored nine of his team-high 14 points after the break and dished out a game-high nine assists in an all-around performance. Otasowie added 12 points, including a clutch three-pointer and a pair of second-half layups.

Jayden Jarrett was a force inside, finishing a perfect 6-for-6 from the field with 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Sloan Ireland added 10 points off the bench on 5-of-9 shooting.

Hunter shot 51.9 percent from the floor, including 63.6 percent in the second half, and shared the ball efficiently with 19 assists. The Hawks also dominated the rebounding battle 37–32, led by Demetrios Kontos' seven boards and Kristian Nunez's active play on both ends.

In the closing minutes, Maaba knocked down a pair of free throws to give Hunter a 66–63 lead with under 30 seconds left. But the Hawks couldn't hold on, as a tying three and a turnover on the final possession led to a game-winning layup with just nine seconds on the clock.