(Garden City, NY) Men's basketball hosted their 2018 home opener on Sunday against the Bunker Hill Bulldogs.

Bunker Hill came out strong in the first half shooting 5 for 10 from the 3 point arc. The Bulldogs took the lead 42-31 going into halftime. Bunker Hill's Jamaurie Coakley and Jaelen Bellitti had 9 and 8 points, respectively.

Nassau wasn't ready to give up the battle yet. They came back in the second half to cut the deficit to only 6 points making the score 53-59 with 10:37 remaining. During the NCC run Patrick Gardner tallied 11 points and Cheyenne Nettleton contributed 5 for a combined 16 point effort to close the gap. Bunker Hill had their own run of 16-8 to put themselves back on top going into the final moments of the game, making it even more difficult for Nassau to recover. The Lions fell 68-80.

Standout players of the game were Patrick Gardner who totaled 28 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks. While Cheyenne Nettleton contributed 20 points and 3 assists. 

The Lions are looking to bounce back quickly against the Region XV rivalry Queensborough CC on Tuesday, November 6th.