New York, NY | The stage was set for the Panthers home opener against the Kingsborough Wave on Tuesday night. In front of a full crowd at BMCC Gymnasium, the men's and women's basketball team put on a show for the fans and came up with a pair of wins. The Lady Panthers started off the night with a dominating 41 point victory over their CUNYAC opponent, and then the Panthers followed up with a tightly contested game that ended with a 100-96 overtime victory.

Starting 3 freshmen, the new-look offense for the Lady Panthers hit the ground running in their season opener, with three players reaching double digits in scoring as BMCC routed Kingsborough. The Lady Panthers were led on offense by Natalija Dubrovina, the freshman guard put up an impressive 22 points on a 10-21 shooting performance, while grabbing 5 rebounds and a steal. Freshman Tiannie Hightower made the most of her time on the court, in less than 20 minutes she recorded 15 points and 8 rebounds, while her teammate Nikola Zilakova racked up 14 points and 4 steals. A key factor into the Lady Panthers success was their presence on the offensive and defensive glass, as they outrebounded their opponent 62-25, leading the way for BMCC were Jehosheba Foster and Ashley Brooks with 11 and 10 rebounds, respectively.

"It felt good to truly dominate a team and not have to sweat it out in the fourth quarter" commented Head Coach Ben Newberg after the 75-34 victory in the home opener. "A win is always a great feeling but it's even better to get one in front of our fans."

After a 1-1 start to the season, the Panthers put up 100+ points for the second consecutive game to knock off their CUNY rival in overtime. In a night which every starter contributed 10 or more points, Terrell Fullerton led the team in scoring with 28 points, while sophomore Jericho Cherisma filled the stat sheet with 17 points and 17 rebounds. Freshman Adem Gutic made the most of his minutes off the bench, scoring 14 while going 5-7 from the field, including a clutch three pointer that splashed in to give the Panthers the lead with 2 minutes left in overtime. With a two point lead, the Panthers never looked back as they controlled possession and made free throws in the final seconds to seal the game.

Following their win, both teams will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Loch Sheldrake, NY to take on the Sullivan County Generals. The first game of the weekend doubleheader is set to tipoff at 1pm.