Bulldogs win first NCAA Tournament game in program history after repeating as CUNYAC champions. The Brooklyn College women’s basketball team’s historic season came to an end on March 5 in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament, after a 76-58 loss to regional host Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Coming off the program’s first NCAA Tournament win, the Bulldogs ended their season with an impressive 22-4 overall record. On March 4, the Bulldogs won their first NCAA Tournament game in program history with a first-round victory over Emmanuel College (Massachusetts), 70-57. CUNYAC two-time Player of the Year, Chanel Jemmott, was tremendous all evening, finishing 30 points, 22 rebounds, and three steals. Jemmott became the all-time leading scorer in the program’s history this season, with 1,697 points, as well as the leading rebounder, with 1,144. “I am extremely proud of our team for a tremendous season and for coming together for such a great win, defeating a great Emmanuel team for the first NCAA Tournament win in our program’s history,” said Alex Lang, assistant director of the athletics department and head coach of the women’s basketball team. “I am so proud that we can represent the college, our community, alumni, CUNY, and New York City on this national stage. We have come a long way since I started coaching at Brooklyn in 2002, and I take great pride in all of the people who have contributed to us getting to this point. Those relationships and shared sense of pride in our accomplishments mean so much more to me than the sport itself and give a greater meaning to all of the hard work along the way.” Brooklyn College reached the NCAA Tournament after repeating as CUNYAC Champions with a 59-51 win over no. 2 seed John Jay in the conference tournament title game on Feb. 25. Capping off a perfect 14-0 record against conference opponents, it was their third conference title. Earning her third CUNYAC Championship game MVP of her college basketball career, Jemmott led all scorers with 18 points to go along with a game-high 20 rebounds. Junior guards Gianna Gotti and Ericka James were both named to the All-Tournament team for their standout performances. “Winning the first round of the NCAA Tournament was a feat that will always be special to this program, and to me personally,” Jemmott said. “This season, like most, was filled with ups and downs. I’m so proud of how our group persevered throughout, and the success we achieved is just a testament to the work the players and staff put in day in on a daily basis.” The Bulldogs also had a strong showing during the CUNYAC award season, as Jemmott was named CUNYAC Player of the Year; Lang repeated as Coach of the Year; Gotti and James earned First-Team CUNYAC All-Star awards; and junior guard Nancy Pham was named to the CUNYAC Sportsmanship Team. Lang again led the Bulldogs to a 12-0 conference record for the second straight season. It was his seventh CUNYAC Coach of the Year award. He surpassed 300 career wins this season, for a total of 321, the most of any coach in CUNYAC women’s basketball history. Gotti lead the entire nation in steals per game, averaging 4.53 per contest, and led CUNYAC in assists per game, dishing out 108 in 19 games played. She was named CUNYAC Player of the Week twice during the regular season. James was named a CUNYAC All-Star in her second season after leading the conference in three-pointers (66) and three-point shooting percentage (.353) in 22 games played. She finished the regular season second in scoring for Brooklyn, averaging 13.6 points per game, and scored 20+ points in seven games. Pham played in and started 21 games, averaging 6.16 points per game, 2.8 assists per game, 2.0 shots per game, and 3.7 rebounds per game.
