John Jay basketball can't hold on against Pleasantville

CROSS RIVER, N.Y. — John Jay hosted Pleasantville on Jan. 23, and the Friday night matchup looked promising for the Wolves through the second quarter. John Jay jumped out to a 19-9 lead, but the Panthers responded with a run that turned the tide for good. Pleasantville scored the next 14 points to secure a 51-37 win and spoil John Jay’s weekend.

The Panthers drew first blood as Aislin Harrison hit two free throws, and Emma Murray muscled in an off-balance putback for the first four points of the game. John Jay responded when Gabby Camaj ended the early drought with a triple. Kylie Bishop followed with a drive to the basket, and Schembri found Heather Martinsen for an open three.

Murray’s putback at 2:43 briefly paused John Jay’s momentum, but Gianna Pelosi quickly answered with a long two from Bishop, then collected a loose ball and fed Charlotte Omin for another outside basket. After Julie Karaqi’s foul shot, Lina Halaifonua grabbed the rebound and scored, while Camaj sunk a three off the glass to keep the Wolves in front.

With 1:32 left in the quarter, Maddie Becerra’s coast-to-coast drive seemed harmless—especially after Omin’s drive closed out the period. Pelosi’s baseline drive extended John Jay’s lead to 10 points at 7:38 of the second quarter.

Pleasantville finally struck back. Murray drove baseline for two, and Lexi Tomaselli converted a fast-break opportunity after Omin lost the ball, then followed with a three-pointer to bring the game to 19-18. With 4:11 left in the half, Tomaselli hit an off-balance layup and set up Harrison for another score, giving the Panthers the momentum.

John Jay briefly countered when Schembri drove the length of the court, but Tomaselli assisted Murray on a cut underneath to close the half and kept her team’s energy high. Starting the third, Tomaselli drove from above the arc to give Pleasantville a 27-21 lead.

Schembri responded with a baseline jumper at 6:00, but Karaqi soon found Murray on the move at 5:18. After several offensive rebounds and missed layups, Murray hit a teardrop to put Pleasantville up by eight.

John Jay continued to fight. Omin scored two baskets, and Bea Hill sank four free throws to keep it respectable at 39-32. However, in the final four minutes, the Wolves could not convert their offensive rebounds into points. Pleasantville, by contrast, consistently got to the rim and through the net to seal the 51-37 victory.