BROOKLYN, N.Y. – A dominant second-half performance propelled Hunter College to a 78-68 victory over Brooklyn College on Tuesday night at the West Quad Center. Led by a standout performance from Donovon Cola, the Hawks (5-16, 3-7 CUNYAC) used a strong shooting effort after halftime to secure the road win.

Cola finished with a career-high 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including four three-pointers, while also knocking down all four of his free throws. Jack Meyers delivered a double-double, controlling the boards with a game-high 17 rebounds to go along with 16 points and four assists. Sal Saputo and Felipe Carter provided key contributions off the bench, scoring 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Brooklyn built an early 6-2 lead, but Hunter responded with a 7-0 run, highlighted by a Saputo three-pointer to take a 9-6 advantage. From there, the teams exchanged baskets, with Cola heating up from the mid-range and Jack Meyers controlling the glass to generate second-chance opportunities. 

Cola's jumper at the six minute mark gave the Hawks a slim 21-19 lead, and Hunter continued to attack inside, with Casey Meyers and Carter adding key buckets.

The Bulldogs responded with two three-pointers to momentarily shift the momentum, but Hunter closed the half strong. Cola drained a late jumper, and Alioune Mbengue added a putback layup in the final minute to send the Hawks into halftime with a 32-27 lead.

Coming out of the break, Hunter quickly set the tone, as Enzo Caceres-Roussel and Cola finished inside to extend the lead to 36-29. Brooklyn stayed within striking distance, cutting the deficit to just as few as three, but Cola responded with back-to-back triples to push the advantage to 47-38.

As the Hawks found their rhythm, their defense tightened up, forcing Brooklyn into rushed shots and turnovers. Carter converted a layup at the 10:10 mark to put the Purple and Gold up 51-46, and a few minutes later, Cola buried another from beyond the arc to extend the lead to 56-48.

Hunter held a double-digit lead for much of the final minutes, with Carter's three-pointer at 2:22 pushing the advantage to 70-58. Brooklyn attempted to mount a comeback, but late free throws from Cola and J. Meyers sealed the win for the Hawks.

Hunter's ability to control the boards (42-39 advantage) and efficient second-half shooting (51.7%) proved to be the difference in the team's 78-68 win. 

The Hawks will look to build on this momentum as they head to Baruch College for a 7:15 p.m. conference game on Thursday Feb. 6.