Box Score

NEW YORK, N.Y. (Feb. 13, 2018) - On Tuesday, No. 2 seed Borough of Manhattan Community College outscored its opposition by a 21-4 count in the first quarter, en route to posting a 66-35 rout of third-seeded Kingsborough Community College in the semifinals of the 2018 CUNYAC/Army ROTC Community College Women's Basketball Championship at BMCC Gymnasium.

The win propels the Panthers to the CUNYAC final for the second-straight year and into a re-match with top-seeded Hostos Community College for the league title. BMCC will be in search of its first conference championship since 2013.

"Today was all defense. You hold a team to four points in the first quarter. If you can do that every game, I am satisfied," said BMCC Head Coach Ben Newberg.

In that overwhelming first quarter, the Panthers had six different players find the scoresheet. Sophomore guard Nikola Zilakova and sophomore forward Karina Ortega led the way with seven points apiece. Freshman guard Ebony Marshall added three points.

"Those (Nikola and Karina) are my two captains," said Newberg about the performance of his two returners. "They knew that they had to come in and be a leader and have shown it all season. They played last year and I am happy to have them back."

Zilakova collected a game-high 20 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Ortega scored 15 points and added nine rebounds and two steals. Sophomore guard/forward Jehosheba Foster totaled eight points and a game-best-tying 13 rebounds. Freshman guard/forward Jessycca Myers had four points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Though Kingsborough managed to close the gap to 23-10 in the second quarter, BMCC fired back with a 10-2 run in a stretch of 4:30 to extend the lead to 33-12 with 57 seconds left. Zilakova hit back-to-back jumpers in the burst. Marshall and freshman guard Ayanna Graham capped it off with consecutive baskets.

In the third quarter, the Panthers kept their foot to the gas pedal, outscoring the Wave, 20-5, to seal the win.  Zilakova was again the catalyst for BMCC, netting nine points in the spurt. Ortega contributed six points, while Foster scored five points.

Kingsborough rolled with five players for the entirety of the contest, led by Ardita Shaptafovic's 12 points. Sophomore guard Lavaya Clarke recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman forward/center Tania Hamed pitched in nine points and crashed the glass for a game-best-tying 13 rebounds.

The Panthers will meet Hostos in the 2018 CUNYAC Championship final on Friday (Feb. 16) at 6 p.m. at BMCC Gymnasium. The game will be carried on Facebook Live.