The Vaughn College Warriors clinched their fourth consecutive berth in the Hudson Valley Men’s Athletic Conference (HVMAC) playoffs with a 73-65 win over Cooper Union on Thursday, February 7. The victory was followed by a disappointing home game loss to St. Joseph’s 66-48 on Wednesday, February 6.

The Warriors end the season with a 9 and 10 overall record, but more importantly with a 3 and 3 finish to secure Vaughn a spot in the HVMAC playoffs. Mahdi Macbahi, a senior captain, led the conference in two categories with 12.6 rebounds per game and 2.7 blocks per game.

A 89-62 victory over King’s College on January 31 helped inch the Warriors closer to the postseason.  Jihad led the team in points with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Moises recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds while adding four assists. Jared contributed 14 points, shooting 3 for 5 from the 3 point line.

The HVMAC championships will be played at the College of New Rochelle. Vaughn will play a semifinal game on Saturday, February 16 at 2 p.m. against Berkeley and the winner will play in the championship game on Sunday, February 17 also at 2 p.m.

Warrior season highlights include significant team contributions by Ray Allman, Moises Chaucer, Jihad Ceaser and Mahdi Macbahi who were all named as either HVMAC player of the week or to the HVMAC honor roll.

On January 21, Moises Chaucer recorded a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double in leading Vaughn to a 66-36 league victory over Sarah Lawrence. In earlier games last month, Jihad Ceaser averaged 24 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3.5 steals and 2 blocks over a 1-1 week for Vaughn. After posting a team-high 24 points and eight rebounds in a loss to Maritime on January 9, the senior forward repeated the effort again in the Warriors league January 13 win over Culinary, where he also dished out seven assists, swatted three shots and swiped three steals.

During the fall season Allman was recognized to the HVMAC December honor roll for scoring 22 points with seven rebounds, three assists and three steals during a victory over Cooper Union where the junior guard shot 6-for-6 from behind the arc in the first half.

It is the fourth consecutive season the Warriors have qualified for the HVMAC playoffs. Tournament brackets and previews can be found at the league’s men’s basketball homepage here.