Jan 19, 2011
Esonwune surpassed his previous career high of 26 rebounds, which was set on November 21, 2009 against Montclair State. What's more remarkable about Esonwune's big night is that he scored game-high 21 points despite hitting just one out of ten shots from the free throw line.
York junior William Holley returned from a four-game absence due to injury and finished with 15 points, nine boards and five assists, while sophomore Shamir Wilkinson added 11 points and eight rebounds. Kevin Lausell paced the Cardinals with six points and ten rebounds.
After the two teams jockeyed for the lead in the early-going, York went on a 16-3 run over the course of 5:30 to take a 25-11 lead. David Simon was instrumental for York, making two jumpers and three-pointer during the stretch. Esonwune capped off the run with a tip-in off a missed shot at the 8:29 mark.
York continued to pour it on and expanded its lead to 17 points (35-18) in the first half following a dunk by Esonwune with 4:17 to play before halftime. The Cardinals would take a 40-25 lead at the break.
The lead would be too much for the Bloodhounds to overcome. John Jay could not get closer then ten points the rest of the way. Despite the loss, John Jay got big contributions from Jerome Alexander who finished with 21 points and five rebounds.
With the victory, the Cardinals get a much-needed win and improve to 4-12, 2-3 in the CUNYAC. The loss drops John Jay's record to 7-10, 2-4 in the CUNYAC. York will return to action this Saturday when they visit Lehman College at 3:00 p.m.