Poughkeepsie, New York | On Thursday evening, The BMCC men's basketball team put together their best first-half of the season, holding Dutchess to a season-low 15 first-half points, and coasting the rest of the way to an 85-52 Regional victory in Poughkeepsie, New York. The Panthers improve to 8-6 (5-5 Region XV), while the Falcons drop to 3-8 (2-7 Region XV). 

Sophomore Terrance McBride (Brooklyn, New York) spearheaded the Panthers offense with a game-high 30 points, 23 of them in the first half, and drained a team-best four three-pointers. McBride also grabbed five boards and distributed five assists on the evening. Freshman Malik Bentinck (Queens, New York) put up his team-leading 11th double-double, with 24 points and 11 boards, while classmate Eric Massingale (Brooklyn, New York) led all players with a career-high 12 rebounds and also scored eight points.

Freshman Elvys Ceballos (New York City, New York) posted team-highs in assists and steals with six and two to go along with seven boards, while Sophomore Curtis Smith (Brooklyn, New York) dished out five assists and brought down five rebounds on the night.

The Panthers dominated the Falcon on the glass, 46-35, while holding them to just 17.2% shooting from the field in the first half and 28.3% shooting overall from the field (17-for-60) on the night. BMCC also outscored Dutchess in the paint 40-16. 

The Panthers scored the first six points early in the first quarter, and then Dutchess got their first bucket to get within four, 6-2 on a jumper at 17:17. Over a six and a half span, BMCC outscored Dutchess 14-5 and held them to 2-for-8 shooting to stretch their lead to 20-7, before the Panthers manufactured a 29-8 surge that covered a span of 10:26 to get their advantage to thirty for the first time of the evening 34, (49-15) at halftime.

Dutchess Community College came out strong in the second half, outscoring BMCC 37-36 overall, and trimming down the Panther lead down to 21, 64-43, on a jumper at the 8:04 mark. BMCC's outscored Dutchess 21-8 the rest of the way, getting their lead to a game-high 36 points, 85-51 on a Damonie Askew (Brooklyn, New York) layup with 15 seconds to go and to sail to an 85-52 victory. 

Sophomore guard Isaiah Kostyal led the way for the Falcons with a team-high 14 points and also hauled down seven rebounds. Freshman guard Stephon McGill put up a double-double with 12 points and team-best ten rebounds. McGill also registered team-highs in assists and steals with five and two, while freshman forward Griffin Langiu turned away a team-best two blocks.

Notables: 

• Terrance McBride (Brooklyn, New York) recorded his team-high third 30-point performance of the season and has scored in double figures in all 14 games this season.
• Malik Bentinck (Queens, New York) is second on the team with 13 double-figure games in 14 contests, including his eleventh straight.
• Bentinck has put up back-to-back 20-point performances while notching his team-best seventh 20 point effort and his third in his last four games. 
• Bentinck recorded his team-leading eleventh double-double, including his ninth straight. 
• BMCC has won two of their first three matchups to begin 2020 while picking up victories in five of their last six games dating back to last year. 

The Panthers will look to remain perfect on their four-game road trip when they suit up this weekend on Saturday, Jan. 18, against Regional opponent ASA Manhattan. The opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. For more information, please visit the BMCC Men's Basketball Schedule Page.