The game began on a positive note for the Bearcats, who built a 27-17 lead with four minutes remaining in the opening half.
Senior guard Carl Emengo (Brooklyn, N.Y./Canarsie) scored 12 points in the run up to the 10-point lead.
The Cardinals from York College (9-6, 4-0 CUNYAC) responded by closing the half with a 12-4 run of their own to trail 31-29 at halftime.
James Gilmore (Rosedale, N.Y./St. John’s Prep) nailed consecutive three-pointers and Jeffrey Boone (Rosedale, N.Y./August Martin) hit a turn-around jumper at the buzzer to cut the deficit to two points.
The Cardinals started the second half with the same momentum by going on a 20-5 run for a 49-36 lead with 14:20 left.
The lead stayed in double-digits the rest of the way, as Dennis Echols (Jamaica, N.Y./Stroudsburg) and Aaron Wilson (Brooklyn, N.Y./Thomas Jefferson) each scored 16 points in the second half to keep York undefeated in conference play.
York finished the second half shooting a torrid 59 percent (17-29) and a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range.
Wilson finished with 25 points (7-8 fg), which included a perfect 7-for-7 from behind the arc and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Echols finished with 19 points and Boone had 15 points.
Emengo led the Bearcats (4-9, 2-2 CUNYAC) with 20 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals, while Brian Forrestal (New York, N.Y./St. Agnes Boys) started and recorded one of the finest games of his young career with 14 points, six rebounds, and two steals in 34 minutes of action.