Men's Basketball 1/10/2015 5:41:00 PM By Andrew Capitelli (BMCC Sports Information)

Women’s and #7 Men’s Basketball Swept by Nassau in Regional Doubleheader

The women fall to 2-9, the men to 14-2

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

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NEW YORK ,NY| The Borough of Manhattan Community College women's and men's basketball teams were both defeated by Nassau Community College in Manhattan on Saturday afternoon—the women by the score of 77-45 and the #7 men 72-63—in a NJCAA Region XV doubleheader.

The women (2-9, 1-5 CUNYAC) kept the game close through the opening 12 minutes of the first half, trailing by the score of 15-13, but Nassau ramped it up in final minutes and carried a 30-16 lead into the second. The visitors continued their strong play after the break and held leads as big as 34 points before cruising to the 77-45 win.

Kristen Merrell notched yet another double-double in the loss, this time scoring 17 points, grabbing 12 boards, dishing out six assists and collecting two steals. Mlidhreen Cacoque potted eight, grabbed nine boards and picked up five assists, and Ashley Duplan scored nine and assisted on four.

Nassau held advantages in shooting percentage (38.7%-37.7%) and rebounding (46-37) in addition to creating more turnovers (22-13).

The men—who came into the afternoon ranked seventh in the nation with a 14-1 (6-0 CUNYAC) record—surrendered the first eight points of their match with their Nassau counterparts, but responded immediately with a 16-0 run of their own the pull ahead. They would maintain the lead quite comfortably through the first half, leading by as much as 10 (36-26) before heading into halftime up 36-28.

But the second frame brought about a change of fortunes, as BMCC struggled to generate offense. A 24-11 run by Nassau spanning from 16:48 to 6:28 put the visitors up 58-54, and for the next five minutes the Panthers failed to drain clutch shots. Nassau held leads as big as 12 points before claiming the victory by the score of 72-63.

Point guard Joseph Ojo led BMCC in points for the second time in three games, scoring 17 points in addition to dishing out five assists. Big man Akeem Williams scored seven points but put up massive defensive numbers, grabbing 15 rebounds and blocking an impressive seven shots.

Kenneth Coar scored 16, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked three and Elijah Bryant collected 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

BMCC had a spectacular 14 blocks compared to Nassau's five in addition to out-rebounding their opponent 45-29. And although the Panthers also out-shot Nassau overall (41.5%-33.3%), the Lions held advantages beyond the arc (27.3%-12.5%) and at the free-throw line (79.3%-63.6%).

Both the women and men return to action at home on Thursday, November 15 when they welcome Passaic Community College to Manhattan for a non-region doubleheader. The women get things started at 5:30 PM and the men will close the evening out with a 7:30 PM tip.

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

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

#22 Ashley Duplan: G; 5' 6"; Freshman

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

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

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

#11 Joseph Ojo: G; 5' 11"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

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

#22 Ashley Duplan
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: G

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

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

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

#11 Joseph Ojo
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: G