The LaGuardia Red Hawks and the BMCC Panthers played a hard fought game on Tuesday night at LaGuardia Community College. It was a back and forth affair that saw the BMCC Panthers come out on top by a score of 72-53.
BMCC Coach Ben Newberg was very pleased with his team's effort. "I think we had a really good game plan and when we executed it we looked really good," said Newberg. "At times we got away from that and looked a little sloppy," he continued, "but a win in the CUNYAC is a win in the CUNYAC."
In the early minutes of the game, both teams were trading scoring runs with the Red Hawks jumping out to an early lead. Their lead was not insurmountable though as the Panthers would quickly pull back into the game and take the lead midway through the first quarter. As the quarter drew to a close the women of LaGuardia once again found their groove. The Red Hawks' defense allowed for plenty of fast break opportunities as they got to the rim frequently, drawing fouls and pulling closer from the free throw line. With the score sitting at 13-12 BMCC, the Panthers' defense once again stepped up in the final minute of the first quarter, forcing turnovers and regaining momentum for their team. At the end of the first quarter, the BMCC Panthers led 14-12.
The second quarter began at a frenetic pace, as the teams traded fast break opportunities. Only the Panthers would be able to capitalize on most of these opportunities though, as they quickly took over the game and jumped out to a 28-15 lead midway through the second quarter on the back of a 14-3 scoring run. BMCC looked well prepared on offense and defense as the Red Hawks struggled to score for most of the quarter.
With three minutes left though, something clicked for the LaGuardia offense. The shots started falling, but the Red Hawks defense still couldn't find their footing. The teams traded baskets for the rest of the quarter as BMCC managed to maintain their lead. The Panthers would take a 37-25 lead into halftime thanks in large part to the play of Natalija Dubrovina. Dubrovina was the team's leading scorer with 9 points in the first half.
The start of the second half saw both teams picking up where they left off as they continued their hot shooting. The Red Hawks hit consecutive shots to start the third quarter and it looked as though they were on the comeback trail. The swift passing of the Panthers would prove too much for the LaGuardia defense though, as the Panthers continued to get open shots and knock them down to extend their lead to 52-35 midway through the third quarter.
Just when it looked as though BMCC would take over the game for good, the Red Hawks would finally find the success on both ends of the floor that they had been searching for all game long. Missed shots and turnovers for the Panthers would lead to scoring opportunities on the other end of the floor and the Red Hawks didn't miss their chance to strike. They still had a long way to go, but an 8-0 scoring run would cut the lead to single digits for the first time since early in the second quarter. Heading to the fourth quarter, the score was 52-43 in favor of the Panthers.
The LaGuardia defense would continue to give the Panthers trouble in the opening minutes of the final quarter as the Red Hawks' run continued. It was clear that the Red Hawks wouldn't go down without a fight, but some clutch free throw shooting from BMCC wasn't making it easy for LaGuardia to make a dent in the Panthers' lead, which had once again climbed to double digits. With six minutes left in the game the Panthers had extended their lead to 15 and they wouldn't look back..
BMCC would go on to knock off the Red Hawks on their home court by the score of 72-53 . The Panthers' Tiannie Hightower was a big factor in her team's win, finishing as the game's leading scorer with 26 points.
The Panthers moves to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference with the win. They will look to continue their success next game as they take on another conference opponent in the Bronx Broncos.
With their loss, LaGuardia falls to 4-6 and 3-2 in the conference. The Red Hawks will look to get back to their winning ways on Friday against Howard Community College.
