Bryler Paige and William Sixsmith each scored 20 points to lead the Baruch College Bearcats to a conference-opening 77-74 victory over the Cardinals of York College in an exciting contest on Friday night in the ARC Arena.

The Bearcats led the entire night, but had to fend off several rallies in the second half to capture the win.

The visiting Cardinals cut the deficit four different times down the final stretch to three points, but clutch threes by Paige and William Sixsmith kept the Bearcats ahead.

The Cardinals did have the final possession with eight seconds left trailing by three (74-71), but Chimaechi Ekekeugbor stole the inbound pass for an easy layup that helped seal the win.

Ekekeugbor finished the night with a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds. 

Allen Villar had a solid contest with 13 points and two blocks.