Women's Basketball | 3/4/2017 3:35:00 PM

Valhalla, NY | The #3 Lady Panthers took on the #2 Sullivan Generals in the semifinal round of the Region 15 tournament on Saturday, with a spot in tomorrow's championship final up for grabs. BMCC held a lead for much of the game until Sullivan came storming back to erase an 11 point lead and tie the game in the fourth. At the end of regulation the score remained tied, but a quick pair of threes from BMCC's Natalija Dubrovina in overtime gave the Lady Panthers room to breathe and they held on to finish with an 85-81 victory over the nationally ranked Generals.

After falling to the Generals in their only two previous meetings this season, the Lady Panthers jumped out to an early lead behind the shooting of Karina Ortega, The freshman hit her first three shots from long range on her way to 18 points on the day. By the end of the first half, the Lady Panthers had extended their lead to 9 following a barrage of three pointers from Dubrovina, the CUNYAC All-Star went on to finish the half with 16 points. 

Facing a double-digit deficit, the Sullivan defense switched to a full-court press in the third quarter and fought back to tie the game with a few minutes remaining in regulation. Following a string of lead changes, the Lady Panthers kept their composure and tied the game 68-68 to send it into overtime. But with 9 overtime points from Dubrovina and a few key defensive stops, BMCC finished strong to earn their spot in the championship game. The Lady Panthers were led by Dubrovina's 34 points, with Nikola Zilakova and Gigi Maguire contributing with 10 apiece. Sophomore Ashley Brooks added on with 8 points and stellar rebounding to create second-chance opportunities for her teammates. 

"Even when we were up 9 at halftime I knew we were in for a tough one" Coach Ben Newberg commented after the win. "I'm proud that we battled back after giving up the lead. It feels great to get a W against a team we struggled against all year, especially on a big stage like we did today." 

BMCC will look to carry over the momentum from today's overtime win into the championship game. The Lady Panthers will meet the #1 Hostos Caimans once again in the Region 15 Tournament Final on Sunday March 5th at 12pm at Westchester Community College.