Men's Basketball 12/3/2014 1:24:00 PM By Andrew Capitelli (BMCC Sports Information)

#7 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Go 1-1 in CUNYAC Doubleheader with Hostos

The men claimed their 10th win of the season, while the women fell to 2-5

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BRONX, NY| The Borough of Manhattan Community College men's and women's basketball teams split a CUNYAC doubleheader with Hostos Community College on Tuesday night in the Bronx. In the evening's first match, the women lost 82-77, but in the second match the men—who finished seventh in the NJCAA Division III Top 10 Poll earlier in the afternoon—fought off a persistent Caimans side to win 76-66.

After scoring the game's first points, the Lady Panthers fell behind early in the opener and faced deficits as great as 21 points (9:38 – 2^nd). But BMCC ensured the game would draw to a nervy conclusion after the 4:38 mark, when Hostos held a 14 point lead. The Lady Panthers drew the game back to four points three times in the midst of a 19-10 run to end the game, but Hostos would outlast BMCC and claim its second win of the season.

Guard Ana Pacheco had a monster game for the Lady Panthers, scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 boards. Leading scorer Kristen Merrell booked 15 points, eight rebounds and three steals with limited playing time. Luye Murphy netted 13 and Mildhreen Cacoque scored 12.

Hostos was able to create a lot of turnovers (36) and they made the Lady Panthers pay by scoring 38 points off of them. BMCC benefitted from 33 bench points, but Hostos' early lead buried the visitors.

The men, on the other hand, jumped out to an early lead, and would maintain it for the remainder of the contest after 16:51 mark of the first half. Their greatest lead came at 10:02 of the second, when they held a 22 point advantage. But a 19-5 run by the hosts between 10:02 and 2:04 brought the game within eight points, although BMCC would hold on and claim the 10-point victory.

Small forward Neil Viera scored a game-high 23 points after shooting 100% (5-5) from three. The Brooklyn, NY native also grabbed seven rebounds, two steals and blocked three shots.

Last week's CUNYAC Male Player of the Week Kenneth Coar recorded his fifth double-double of the season, scoring 11 and grabbing 10 boards. Elijah Bryant had 10 points, eight rebounds and three assists, Akeem Williams scored eight and had 12 rebounds and Jericho Cherisma contributed 12 points and five rebounds off the bench.

Despite being outscored off the bench (28-20) and in points off turnovers (22-18), the Panthers held a steep advantage in shooting percentage (43.9 %-31.6%). BMCC is currently first in the nation in opponents' field goal percentage (34.2%).

Up next for both the men and women is LaGuardia Community College who will host BMCC on Thursday, December 11 in Long Island City, NY. The women get started at 6:00 PM and the men close out the evening at 8:00 PM.

As always, check back on BMCCAthletics.com for the latest news and developments surrounding the BMCC Panthers. Also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @BMCCAthletics for up-to-the-minute stories and in-game updates.

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Players Mentioned

#23 Ana Pacheco: G; 5' 10"; Freshman

#25 Kristen Merrell: G/F; 5' 6"; Freshman

#10 Mildhreen Cacoque: G; 5' 4"; Freshman

#3 Elijah Bryant: G; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#44 Kenneth Coar: F; 6' 6"; Freshman

#5 Neil Veira: G; 6' 2"; Freshman

#21 Jericho Cherisma: F; 6' 5"; Freshman

#33 Akeem Williams: F; 6' 7"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#23 Ana Pacheco
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: G

#25 Kristen Merrell
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: G/F

#10 Mildhreen Cacoque
: 5' 4"; Freshman
: G

#3 Elijah Bryant
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: G

#44 Kenneth Coar
: 6' 6"; Freshman
: F

#5 Neil Veira
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: G

#21 Jericho Cherisma
: 6' 5"; Freshman
: F

#33 Akeem Williams
: 6' 7"; Sophomore
: F