There is a time in every game when a team faces adversity and either succumbs to the pressure or grows bigger than the moment and charges ahead.

Many like to call it gut-check time.

With 1:43 showing on the clock inside the gym at the APEX, the Lehman Lightning's intestinal fortitude was tested, and happily for those in attendance rooting for the royal blue and Vegas gold, the team passed with flying colors.

Having watched its eight-point lead whittled to only two on Gary Williams Jr.'s pull-up three-pointer in transition, the Lightning responded by scoring the game's final six points to grab a much needed victory and jump back over the .500 mark at 11-10 overall.

Out of the Lightning's timeout immediately after Williams Jr. had canned his trey, Samuel Batista calmly swished two free throws to create some space and give Lehman a 69-65 lead. Given a chance to pull the Knights within one, Justin Lewandowski tossed up an airball on a three-pointer from the left corner with just under a minute to play, setting in motion Chukwuma Ndukwe's outlet pass to a streaking Victor Garcia for a crucial layup.

Ndukwe then converted underneath on a pass from Garcia after Brandon Stewart was called for traveling to extend to an insurmountable eight-point lead, 73-65.

The Lightning's close call came despite holding a 10-point lead with nearly nine minutes gone by in the second half after Samuel Batista's layup capped a 7-0 run that turned a 52-49 game into a 59-49 advantage in Lehman's favor. Berkeley quickly answered with an 8-0 run of its own, capped by Williams Jr.'s jump shot to close to within 59-57.

A huge three-pointer by Quaseem Weems preceded one of two makes at the line by Ndukwe to open a 65-57 Lightning cushion. However, two Lewandowski baskets – one a three-pointer – sandwiched around a Batista jumper for the Lightning set the stage for the final sequence of plays.

Throughout the course of the game the Lightning showed an ability to hang in despite an opponent that was constantly knocking on the door, a trait that should help it fare well once the CUNYAC Championships begin. Save for the final 1:05 of the first half, Lehman and Berkeley were never separated by more than five points during the game's initial 20 minutes as the athletic Knights more than kept pace with the Lightning attack.

In fact it took only four minutes for the Lightning to get a glimpse of the Knights' athleticism when Stewart rose up for a breakaway dunk to make the score 8-6 Lehman.

But the Lightning was not without athletes of its own, as Samuel Batista, returning from a one game absence, and Victor Garcia combined for 42 points. Jonathan DeJesus sucked up just about every rebound that came near him, finishing with a whopping 21 boards to go along with 11 points, his 15th double-double of the season. And not to be overlooked, sophomore George Nimmons provided key minutes off the bench for Coach Schulman, contributing five assists in 22 minutes of action.

The Lightning's triumphant night blunts the bad taste in its mouth that was lingering from the team's back-to-back losses to the College of Staten Island and New York City College of Technology. Lehman will now look to keep things rolling on Wednesday night when the City College of New York shoots uptown for another CUNYAC throwdown.