NEW YORK, N.Y. - The fifth seeded Lehman College women's basketball team fell to #4 Hunter College, 84-59, in the quarterfinals of the CUNY Athletic Conference Championships on Sunday afternoon. The Lightning are now eliminated from the tournament while Hunter advances to the Semifinals to play the winner of #8 York vs. #1 Staten Island on Wednesday, February 26.

Lehman will now await a possible invitation to the ECAC Championships.

The Lightning (16-10) had two narrow leads early on, until the Hawks (14-12) exploded with a 12-0 run. Freshman guard Amely Del Rosario (Bronx, N.Y./John F. Kennedy) scored the first ten points for the Lightning, and 12 of the team's first 15.

Lehman College head coach Eric Harrison believes that this was a learning experience for the Lightning. "We are young," Harrison said, "and we just didn't play well. Shots didn't fall in and it got to [us] mentally."

Junior forward Shalaya Nieves (Camden, Del./Caesar Rodney) tallied a double-double by scoring ten points and grabbing a ccareer-high 19 boards. Del Rosario led the Lightning in scoring with 17 points. Freshman guard Genesis Liberato (Santo Domingo, D.R./Liceo Ramon Matias Mella) produced 12 points while sophomore guard Jennifer Navarro (Jamaica, N.Y./Grover Cleveland) scored 11. Sophomore forward Amani Lightbourne (Elmsford, N.Y./Alexander Hamilton) scored seven points and dished out three assists. Freshman forward Melanie Mena (Bronx, N.Y./Aquinas) grabbed nine rebounds.

Harrison has expectations of a great future for the young Lightning squad. "We are excited," Harrison said. "We have a young team with great talent. We will be motivated for next season."