“We just didn’t play with that nervousness tonight than we had in the semifinals,” said CUNYAC Coach of the Year Machli Joseph, whose team defeated Lehman College in the semifinals by 16 points and York in the quarterfinals by 25 points. “We were relaxed from the moment we came to CSI today and it showed in our play from the tap. It’s a great feeling as a coach that your team gets it going early and continues to play with that same effort throughout.”
The Bearcats, who earned the school’s only undefeated Conference season in their school’s long history (13-0), dominated the first half, enjoying as much as a 15-point lead (28-13) with 7:35 remaining on a pull-up jumper by CUNYAC Player of the Year Chiresse Paradise (Rich Central / Chicago, IL), before settling for a 14-point margin at the break, 31-17.
Paradise led the CUNYAC North Division Champions in scoring for the third straight game, this time with 10 points and nine rebounds. Junior forward Ally Stamatiades (Bryant / Astoria, NY) added 10 points, eight rebounds and five steals for Baruch, while junior all-star forward Racquel Reid (Washington Irving / New York) had seven rebounds and five points.
The defending champions and #2 seeded College of Staten Island struggled from the field all game, hitting only 17 shots in 72 attempts (23.6%). Senior all-star forward Kim Thompson (St. John Villa / Staten Island, NY) who set a new CUNYAC / Con Edison Tournament record 38 points in CSI’s quarterfinal win had only four points at halftime for the second-straight contest.
But even in the second half, Staten Island never seemed to get it going, forcing too many awkward shots and not working their offense like they had all-season long.
Thompson finished the game with 18 points, eight rebounds and six steals lead the Dolphins, who will likely earn an ECAC Tournament berth when the selections are announced on Monday.
Baruch also beat CSI in their regular season contest on January 18th, 86-77 here at the Sports & Recreation Center. Freshman swingman Nicole Estrada (Bishop Kearney / Brooklyn, NY) chipped in with 13 points and five boards.
Paradise, who was named Tournament Most Valuable Player, ended up with 14 points and a game-high 17 rebounds.
The Bearcats were led by Stamatiades with 15 points and five assists. Junior forward Raquel Reid (Washington Irving / Bronx, NY) had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore guard Naesha Tyler-Moore (Rich Central / Chicago, IL) also had a double-double with 11 points and 10 caroms, while senior guard Diane Ramirez (Francis Lewis / Sunnyside, NY) had only three points but added nine rebs, seven steals and six assists.
Along with Paradise, John Jay’s Lashannen Houge (Roosevelt / Yonkers, NY), Lehman’s Maria Loor (Newtown / Queens, NY), CSI’s Thompson and Baruch’s Reid and Stamatiades were named to the 2006 CUNYAC All-Tournament Team.