Brooklyn, NY --- The Brooklyn College Men's Basketball team started off the New Year on the right foot, as the Bulldogs downed the Lehman College Lightning in a City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) match up on Saturday Afternoon at the West Quad Center by a score of 62-58.

With the win, BC improves to 3-6 overall on the season and an even 2-2 in CUNYAC play; while Lehman falls to an even 6-6 overall and 1-2 in conference play.

The Bulldogs struck first scoring the first five points of the game on a three-pointer from freshman Egzon Gjonbalaj and a pair of free throws from senior Kavon Baker. BC would eventually build their lead into double figures and lead by as many as 13, 24-11, following a three pointer from sophomore Jerome Hayden at the 7:24 mark of the first half.

From that point on, Lehman would make an offensive push, using a 14-3 run to cut its deficit to two, 27-25, at the halftime break.

Brooklyn would once again score the first points of the second half, as senior Steven Grant knocked down a pair of buckets to open the period and put the Bulldogs up 31-25 in the first minute of action.

Grant would later convert a pair of free throws to put the Bulldogs back up by double figures, 41-30, with 13:57 left in regulation.

The Lightning however would once again mount a comeback and eventually take their first lead of the ballgame. Capitalizing on a 14-2 run, Lehman would take a one point lead, 44-43, with 10:09 left in the game. Kelvin Gil capped the run with a key three-pointer to put Lehman ahead for the first time.

From there on out, the teams battled back and forth with three ties and three lead changes, as the final outcome would be decided in the final minutes.

With BC trailing 55-54, senior Jeffrey Noel went to the free throw line with a chance to put the Bulldogs ahead again. Noel would knocked down both free throws to put Brooklyn back up, 56-55, with just 2:15 remaining in the game.

A key three-pointer from sophomore Steven Diaz would later put the Bulldogs up 59-55 with 1:13 remaining. Lehman would answer with a three-point play from Gil to make it a 59-58 ballgame with just 41 seconds left; however, Brooklyn clamped down on defense in the finals seconds and converted a key free throw from Grant and layup from Diaz to close out the game and earn a hard fought 62-58 victory.

For BC, Noel finished with a team-high 18 points and seven rebounds coming off the bench, while Grant added 17 points. Diaz chipped in with 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Baker dished out six assists on the day.

For Lehman, Gil led all scorers with a game-high 22 points, while Erasmo Soto contributed with 10 points. Quaseem Weems grabbed a game-best 10 rebounds, while Phil Ductan finished with four assists.

For the game, Brooklyn shot 32.2% (19-59) from the field and 30.4% (7-23) from three. The Bulldogs also shot 65.4% (17-26) from the free throw line.

Lehman converted 44.9% (22-49) and 50.0% (6-12) from beyond the arc. The Lightning also shot 57.1% (8-14) from the line.

BC benefited from 29 Lehman turnovers which led to 27 points, as well as 18 offensive rebounds which resulted in 21 second chance points. The Brooklyn bench also outscored the Lehman reserves 22-13.

Brooklyn will next be in action on Tuesday, January 8th, when Brooklyn will be on the road to take on the Bearcats of Baruch College in another key CUNYAC matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm. You can also listen to all the action live via http://mywbcr.com/. Live stats will also be provided via http://www.sidearmstats.com/baruch/mbball/scoreboard.aspx