Brooklyn, NY --- The Brooklyn College Men's Basketball team defeated borough rival Medgar Evers College, 84-79, at the West Quad Center on the BC campus earlier tonight in the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) season opener for both squads.

With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 4-1 overall on the season and 1-0 in the CUNYAC; while the Cougars fall to 3-4 overall and 0-1 in the conference.

Brooklyn was led by junior Steven Grant who came off the bench to spark the Bulldogs offense with a career and game high 24 points on 9-for-12 shooting from the field, including going 4-for-5 from beyond the arc.

Classmate Kavon Baker continued his solid play on the year adding 21 points (new career high) and nine rebounds, while senior Amil John chipped in with 20 points and a team leading 10 rebounds for the double-double. Senior Tyshawn Russell was the fourth Brooklyn player in double figures with 17 points, to go along with five assists.

For Medgar Evers, Winston Douglas led the way with game-highs of 24 points and 14 rebounds to register the double-double. Jovan Deare also recorded a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Jarrel Deare chipped in with 19 points and a game-best seven assists.

The first half featured a tight contest throughout with five ties in the period. The Cougars would gain the early upper hand taking a seven point advantage, 23-16, with 8:22 remaining before the break. From there, the Bulldogs would use a 13-6 run to tie the game at 29 all at the 3:26 mark. Brooklyn would eventually take a 35-33 lead into the locker room.

The second half featured much of the same as both teams exchanged baskets. With the game tied 11th time at 47-47, with 14:27 remaining, the Bulldogs used a 24-8 run to build a 16-point advantage, 71-55, the largest of the game, with 9:33 left in the ballgame.

The Cougars would not go down lightly however, as Medgar Evers, the reigning CUNYAC Champion, showed its heart and determination in chipping away at its deficit. Medgar would eventually cut Brooklyn's lead down to two on numerous occasions, however, the Bulldogs tenacious defense and key free throw shooting down the stretch would eventually lead to BC's 84-79 victory.

For the game, Brooklyn shot 43.2% (32-74) from the floor and 31.3% (5-16) from beyond the arc, to go along with 15-for-23 (65.2%) shooting from the free throw line.

Medgar Evers shot 44.4% (32-72) from the field, while hitting just 23.1% (3-for-13) from three. The Cougars shot 12-for-18 (66.7%) from the charity stripe.

Turnovers would be the key to the BC win, as the Bulldogs fierce pressure defense forced Medgar into 24 turnovers, which led to 35 points.

Brooklyn's next two games will be on the road as the Bulldogs will travel to Polytechnic Institute of New York University this Saturday, December 3rd at 3:00 pm and then travel to New York University on Monday, December 5th at 7:00 pm. BC will next be home on Thursday, December 8th as Brooklyn will take on Vaughn College at 6:00 pm.