BY DAMIEN OVALLE
On November 21st, the Brooklyn College men’s basketball team suffered a crushing loss to the Rivier University Raiders. What started as a promising back-and-forth between the two turned into a one-sided battle with the Raiders dealing most of the blows.
Coming off a five-game losing streak, Brooklyn’s loss to the Raiders means it has yet to end a game with a winning score.
With a roster consisting of some returning players but many first-year players, the Brooklyn Bulldogs started this season with a tall task: figuring out how to work with one another.
Out the gate, Rivier opened on a strong lead of 15-2 over the Bulldogs. It seemed like the Bulldogs did not know how to stop or handle the Raiders.
Approaching halftime, Rivier had more than double the points of Brooklyn, 37-18, and the game looked lost. But in the final seconds, Brooklyn’s Zuric Harvey (#5) scored a three-pointer to cut the lead down to 37-21.
A shift of feelings ran through the West Quad Gymnasium. A hope and belief for their team rather than disappointment began to fill each fan.
Jonathan Pariente, broadcaster for the Brooklyn College Bulldogs, pointed out how the Bulldogs are not working together. Mistakes on the offensive side of the ball were their biggest fault. Missed reads, and they haven’t found a way to make each other’s talents show. In addition, the ball just wasn’t rolling their way,
“The Bulldogs will have to come with extra effort in the second half. They are going to have to figure this out but right now the Bulldogs have work to do,” said Pariente.
Going into the second half with the crowd fully on Brooklyn’s side, the Bulldogs were ready to show out. As play began, the crowd erupted in cheers and chants, rooting for Brooklyn to overcome the Raiders.
The final half started off slow for both teams as great defense was played and offensive interactions (touches) were limited to ten seconds before a turnover. Serge Thraysbule (#20) would break this stalemate with an acrobatic layup over two defenders to bring the Bulldogs bit closer to the Raider’s score of 37.
The Raiders began to make mistakes leading to referees getting involved. Foul after foul and turnover after turnover, the game began to swing Brooklyn’s way, just as the fans were asking for.
The game turned into a back-and-forth with both teams picking it up offensively as Rivier showed it wouldn’t go down without a fight. They stopped the roaring momentum of Brooklyn with a three-point by the Raiders’ Ghared Boyce (#11) which brought its lead over Brooklyn to 15 points.
With 15 minutes left in the game and Brooklyn trialing by double digits, Brooklyn brought out all the tactics it could, going with a full-court press (guarding the opponent the full length of the court). Things didn’t get easier for Brooklyn as Rivier’s Odarius Cade (#00) scored another three-pointer making it the 10th three-pointer for the Raiders and putting the the tally at 46-28.
Within the final minutes of the game, Brooklyn took down what was at one point a 23-point deficit (at 9 minutes of play time) down to nine points with a shot from Daniel McFadden (#11). The game remained close, and fans were on the edge of their seats waiting for what would happen next.
Rivier eventually stole the final minutes of the game to which Brooklyn had no answer ending with a final score of Rivier 79 to Bulldogs’ 71.