2002 CUNY / Con Edison Basketball Championships Women's Semifinals at Hunter College

Game 1 - Lehman 81, Staten Island 71

Lehman College used an array of offensive weapons in its 18-0 run that turned a 63-59 deficit into a 77-63 lead en route to an 81-71 win over the College of Staten Island. With the victory, the Lightning earned a berth in their first CUNY final since 1982.

After Staten Island (18-9) took the lead in the early going, momentum shifted and Lehman grabbed the upper hand. The lead would change 10 times and there would be eight ties in the fast-paced contest that drew a roar from the crowd from beginning to end.

After leading 38-33 at halftime, Lehman let the Dolphins seize the advantage and go up 63-59. Senior guard Desirae Ross put the Lightning ahead with a three-pointer to make the score 66-63. Chanel Kendall netted eight of Lehman's 18 points in the run.

Staten Island sophomore guard Donna Pryzybeszewski finally hit a free throw with 3:40 left to break the scoring drought and make the deficit 77-64. The Dolphins then closed the gap to nine, 79-70, on a putback by sophomore guard Pam Barone. The two teams then traded free throws to provide the final margin.

The loss by Staten Island breaks a streak of six straight finals appearances by the squad, which won four titles in that span. Lehman, which avenged last year's 106-80 semifinal loss to the Dolphins, is back in the final after a 19-year absence.

Ross, Lehman's career scoring leader, led the team with 26 points, while sophomore forward Florena Rhodes added 23 points and 11 rebounds. Kendall, the CUNY Player of the Year, contributed 17 points.

"It's definitely an honor for Lehman to reach the finals for the first time in 19 years," said Lightning head coach Eric Harrison. "It's something that our players have worked hard for, and their dedication and commitment paid off today. We're looking forward to the finals and hopefully taking Lehman to our first-ever NCAA appearance."

Freshman Jacclyn Rock, the CUNY Rookie of the Year, scored 29 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead Staten Island. Barone totaled 18 points while junior guard April Nelson chipped in with 14 points.

Lehman (18-9) will face either #1 Hunter or #4 CCNY in the CUNY Women's Championship Final at 5:30 PM on Friday, February 22. That contest, at the Hunter College Sportsplex in Manhattan, will be followed by the CUNY Men's Championship Final between #1 College of Staten Island and #2 Medgar Evers College at 7:45 PM.

Game 2 - Hunter 65, CCNY 51

Hunter College reached their 5th straight CUNY final with a 65-51 victory over CCNY in the semifinal round at Hunter College Sportsplex. The Hawks extended their current winning streak to 14 straight, in addition to capturing their 31st consecutive home victory against CUNY opposition.

The Hawks pulled away in the second half after holding a 34-31 halftime lead, as Jen Rogers and Jen Agosto hit back to back three pointers in a 1:30 span that pushede the narrow Hawk lead to 53-40 with 8:59 remaining. Senior forward Shevon Collins notched her 1,000th career point in the game and finished with a game high 20 points and 5 steals. Melodie Abrook also added 15 points and 12 caroms with Agosto chipping in with 11.

"Our defense definitely was the key in tonight's game," said Meadow. "Shevon did a really nice job on Cargill, she is always phenomenal and she'll be a huge factor for us on Friday."

CCNY managed to cut the margin to eight two minutes later at 53-45 after a Samantah Halpern three, but could get no closer despite some bad foul shooting by Hunter (3-10 FTs). Three CCNY players reached double digits in scoring with Halpern netting 14, Victoria Rautilia adding 13 and Barbara O'Connor finishing with 12.

Hunter will face Lehman College in the conference finale for the first time since 1981 when the Hawks were victorious. Lehman has been to the title game three times and has yet to be crowned as champions. The two squads split their regular season contests with each winning at home as both posted 12-1 CUNY records.

"We were seeded number one and if we play our brand of basketball with tough defense I like our chances," said Collins while adding, "defense wins championships."

RADIO LISTINGS - Live on WNYE-FM 91.5
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22
CUNY / Con Edison Basketball Championships
5:00 PM Semifinal Preview Show
5:30 PM Hunter vs. Lehman
7:45 PM Staten Island vs. Medgar Evers