Men's Basketball 1/16/2015 12:06:00 AM By Andrew Capitelli (BMCC Sports Information)

Women’s and Men’s Basketball Breeze Past Passaic in Thursday Night Doubleheader

The women ended a 10-game losing streak, the men earned their 14th win

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 team swept a non-league doubleheader against Passaic County Community College on Thursday night in Manhattan as the women claimed a 78-70 win—their first in 10 games—while the men coasted to a 75-55 win in the nightcap.

The women (3-10, 1-5 CUNYAC) put together what was their best performance of the season against a Passaic side that entered the contest with a 9-9 record. After jumping out to an early 16-3 lead, BMCC would hold advantages of up to 14 points before heading into halftime up eight (36-28).

The Lady Panthers blew their lead open to 15 points in the opening four minutes of the second frame when they grabbed a 49-34 lead. BMCC held its largest lead at 13:19 when they held a 19 point advantage (57-38) and eventually fended off a Passaic surge before claiming the 78-70 victory.

Freshman Kristen Merrell had a monster game, scoring 23 points and adding 17 rebounds, nine assists and seven steals. Forward Alexis Hart had a career evening, scoring 22 points and grabbing 12 boards.

Guard Ashley Duplan went 3-7 from three and potted 15 points, and point guard Milhdreen Cacoque dished out a season-best 11 assists.

BMCC out-rebounded Passaic 54-41 and held a sizable advantage in overall field-goal percentage (46.5%,-32.9%).

The men (14-2, 6-0 CUNYAC) were looking to rebound after only their second loss of the season to Nassau Community College on Saturday, January 10 and had the opportunity to do so with a 7-13 Passaic side paying a visit.

After a choppy opening few minutes, BMCC jumped out to an 11-5 lead at 16:18 thanks to a Justin Manon three-pointer. Passaic pressured the hosts thereafter, but eventually the Panthers built a 16 point-lead (37-21) before coasting into halftime up 15.

The second brought more of the same, as the Panthers blew their lead out to 28 points midway through the half (64-36). From there on out it was smooth sailing for BMCC, who would go on to claim the 20-point victory (75-55).

Guard Elijah Bryant (24 points, five rebounds, three assists) and forward Kenneth Coar (10 points, six blocks, five rebounds) were the only two Panthers to reach double-digits in scoring. The BMCC bench was very strong, generating 26 points compared to Passaic's six.

Guard Jamel Harris scored a season-best nine points and added five rebounds and three assists, and Dominek Tucker had 10 rebounds and three steals to go with his pair of points.

A much bigger BMCC side outscored Passaic 32-14 in the paint and doubled up on their opponents in the block category (14-7). The Panthers, the fifth-best rebounding team in the nation entering the game, dominated the boards as well (54-30).

Both the women and men return to action on Tuesday, January 20 when they welcome CUNYAC rival Kingsborough Community College to Manhattan. The women get things started at 5:30 PM and the men close out the night 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

#21 Alexis Hart: F; 5' 10"; Sophomore

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

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

#10 Justin Manon: G; 5' 9"; Sophomore

#13 Dominek Tucker: G; 5' 10"; Freshman

#12 Jamel Harris: G; 6' 1"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

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

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

#21 Alexis Hart
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: F

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

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

#10 Justin Manon
: 5' 9"; Sophomore
: G

#13 Dominek Tucker
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: G

#12 Jamel Harris
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: G