The Baruch College Bearcats defeated the Monarchs of Kings College of Pennsylvania, 81-77, in a non-conference game played Saturday afternoon in the ARC Arena.
The win was the 300th for head coach Ray Rankis, as the Bearcats rallied from a 10-point deficit with 9:07 left to pull out the win.
Kings, which reached the NCAA Final 8 Round last season, struggled down the final stretch thanks to a strong defensive effort by the Bearcats (3-1) against a much taller Monarchs team.
Kings shot 2-12 in the final 9:07 and turned over the ball five times, while the Bearcats shot 7-12 and nailed 10 free throws.
Chris Williams (Atlanta, GA/South Gwinnett), a sophomore transfer from Alabama A & M, gave the Bearcats their first lead of the second half with an acrobatic layup and foul for a three-point play with 30 seconds left. Williams finished the game with 16 points and three steals.
Senior guard Louie Karis (Brooklyn, NY/Xaverian) then hit three free throws in the final seconds to seal the win, scoring 16 of his game-high 23 points in the second half.
Senior forward Cheick Fadika (Abidjan, Ivory Coast/Petit) notched his first double-double of the season with 15 points, 10 rebounds, along with three blocks.
Kings struggled most of the afternoon with seven players whistled for three or more fouls. Vince Scalzo (Shickshinny, PA/Northwest Area) led the Monarchs with 16 points (5-8 FG), while Ian Gilmartin (Pittston, PA/Seton Catholic) scored 13 and Jamie Cousart (Holland, PA/Holy Ghost Prep) had 12 points and seven assists. The team hit 7-of-16 three-pointers and shot fifty percent (25-50) in the loss.
"Every win is a great win, particularly when you can defeat a highly accomplished team at home such as Kings," said Rankis, the Dean of CUNYAC Coaches with 300 career wins. "The team worked hard all afternoon, never let up their intensity, and just kept fighting for every loose ball. It was a terrific team effort all around."
Baruch will return to action this upcoming Monday night with a non-conference game at the College of Mount Saint Vincent. Tip off in Riverdale, New York is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.