The Yellow Jackets (5-11, 4-4 CUNYAC) trailed 29-27 at the half, and were crushed on the boards in the game (51-32 LC rebound advantage), but the defending CUNYAC Champions pulled out their second straight Conference win (in the final seconds) with clutch shots and veteran savvy.
At the end of regulation, senior guard Clyde Forteau (St. Raymond’s / Bronx, NY) hit a three-pointer with 0:20 on the clock to give the home team a temporary two-point advantage, 58-56. But the defending CUNYAC North Division Champions received a long jumper from junior guard Kyle Lockett (A. Hamilton / White Plains, NY) at the buzzer to send it into overtime. Forteau, who’s only 25 points away from 1,000 in his City Tech career scored 11 points and added four assists and four steals in the game.
In the first extra period, City Tech was down by as many as four points (67-63), but were down by three (70-67) following a Willie Vargas (Clinton / Bronx, NY) drive and score with 0:27 left. A Saylee three-pointer with four ticks left on the clock knotted the game at 70-70, sending the game into a second OT. Vargas, a 17-point scorer for the Lightning was held to eight points (all scored in the second half and overtime) in the game by a stingy City Tech defense that yielded 30 turnovers.
In the second extra period, City Tech was up early 74-70 on a three-pointer by junior guard Kareem Hanley (Canarsie / Brooklyn, NY) less than one minute into the five-minute period. But Lockett (five points) led Lehman back, 77-76 with a three of his own with 1:37 left on the clock, before Saylee took over in the final minute and a half. Freshman forward Kevin Hall (James Madison / Brooklyn, NY) scored a career-high 10 points in the win, including the first four points of OT number one.
Lehman (7-10, 4-4), was without the services of last season’s CUNYAC Player of the Year Sekani Francis (JFK / Bronx, NY) who did not dress for the game due to injury. Still, the Lightning were led by freshman guard Duane Rhoden (Clinton / Bronx, NY) and junior center Verdayne Townsend (John Jay / Brooklyn, NY) with 14 and 13 rebounds, respectively. Sophomore forward Kaison Shaw (Salesian / Bronx, NY) added 11 points for Lehman, while Townsend and junior forward Lenny Gonzalez (Tuckahoe / Bronx, NY) each scored 10 points.
NYCCT next heads to Vassar College on Tuesday night, January 23, for a non-conference game at 7:00 pm, before returning home for a 2:00 pm game with CUNYAC rival Medgar Evers College on Saturday (January 28).