Bronx, New York | The BMCC Men's Basketball team lost a back-and-forth affair to CUNYAC foe Bronx Community College, 94-89, on Tuesday night at Alumni Gym. After winning three of their first four to begin the new year, the Panthers have lost three in a row to fall to 9-9 overall and 3-3 in CUNYAC action, while the Broncos moved to 10-13 overall and 5-2 in CUNYAC play and into second place in the standings. 

From the opening tip, the game was a see-saw battle with ten different lead changes and seven ties. The Panthers erased a deficit that was as high as eight points in the second half to get within one twice and down to two twice more in the closing seconds.

All five starters scored in double-figures on the night, and two players posted double-doubles. On the court, sophomore Terrance McBride (Brooklyn, New York) led all players in the game with 24 points, 20 of them in the second half, on 9-for-14 shooting from the field with a team-high six assists. McBride also grabbed four boards in the contest. 

Freshmen Malik Bentinck (Queens, New York) and Eric Massingale (Brooklyn, New York) both recorded double-doubles, as Bentinck notched his 12th of the year, hauling down a game-high 16 rebounds and scoring 14 points. At the same time, Massingale posted a career-best with 12 points and 11 boards. Freshman Elvys Ceballos (New York City, New York) and Sophomore Curtis Smith (Brooklyn, New York) rounded out the Panthers' double-digit scorers with 19 points and 17 points, with both of them leading all first-half scorers with ten apiece. Smith drained a team-high three three-pointers and distributed five assists, while Ceballos snatched a team-best two steals and brought down six boards. 

Bronx Community College opened up a 7-5 lead early in the first half after four different lead changes. BMCC tied it at seven on a Smith jumper at 15:52, then went on a 14-2 run over the next 4:57 to pull in front by 12, 21-9, their largest lead of the night.

Bronx Community College responded with a 12-2 run and finished it off with a three at 8:20, to get within two, 23-21 then Bentinck and Ceballos both connected on back-to-back layups 34 seconds apart to extend the lead back to 27-21, before the Broncos countered again with an 11-3 run to retake the lead at the 2:59 mark. Smith drained a three-pointer fifteen seconds after to briefly give BMCC back the lead 33-32 before the Broncos scored five of the final seven points to go into halftime with a 37-35 advantage.

The Panthers came out of the break with the first four points to start the second half, as they tied the game up at 37-37 on a layup by Massingale at 19:10 and another one by Bentinck at 18:46 to go back in front 39-37. The Broncos regained the lead, 43-39, on consecutive three-pointers 59 seconds apart, before BMCC scored seven of the next ten points - Three-Pointer from Smith and layups by Bentinck and Ceballos - knot the game up at 46 all. 

After Bronx Community College went back ahead 48-46 on a layup at 14:43, Ceballos scored five consecutive points with a layup in the paint to tie it at 48 at 14:19 and a three-pointer at 13:49 to put the visitors back in front 51-48. The Broncos put together an 11-0 run to get their lead to eight, 59-51, its largest of the night at 12:20, before a 9-2 Panther run counted to get the margin down to one, 61-60, when McBride laid it up in the paint at 9:26. 

The Bronco's lead got back up to its biggest mark of the night, by eight, 68-60 on a trey at 8:10 to cap off a 7-0 run, before the Panthers responded with a 9-2 run of their own - five points from McBride and four points from Smith on a layup and 2-for-4 at the charity stripe - to bring the advantage back down to one, 70-69. 

Bronx Community College went one-for-two at the line to expand their lead back up 86-80. The Panthers would not go quietly down the stretch, putting together final charge with a 6-2 run - six points coming from a Massingale layup and a McBride lay in and perfect 2-2 performance at the line - to get it down to two, 88-86, with 37 seconds remaining. 

After Bronx Community College went three-for-four at the line to get the lead back to 91-86, McBride fired back with a three-point play to get BMCC back within two again, 91-89, with 21 seconds to go, before the Bronx went three-for-six at the line down the stretch to come away with a 94-89. 

For Bronx Community College, sophomore Tilquan Rucker drained a game-high 30 points on 10-of-18 shooting, while classmates Steven Glover and Malik Hamilton both posted 20-point games with 26 and 20, respectively. Glover also turned away a game-high five blocks, and fellow sophomore William Paradise distributed a game-best ten assists, while Rucker tied a game-high with four steals. Freshman Taj Scott ripped down a team-best ten rebounds in the victory.

Notables: 

• The Panthers had five or more players in double-figures for the first time since last Dec. 12 against Bergen County Community College, and it was fourteenth time this year they had three or more players finish in double figures. 
• Terrance McBride (Brooklyn, New York) has scored in double figures in 17 of 18 games this season, which is tops on the team, while Malik Bentinck (Queens, New York) second on the team with 16 double-figure games, including three straight. 
• Elvys Ceballos (New York City, New York) has posted three-straight double-figure games and is third on the Panthers with 12 double-digit scoring performances. Curtis Smith scored in double-figures for the third time this season and Eric Massingale (Brooklyn, New York) for the first time this year.
• McBride registered his team-leading eighth 20-point output of the season, including his third in his last four games.
• Bentinck racked up his team-leading twelfth double-double of the year, while Massingale put up the first double-double of his Panther career.
• Bentinck ripped down ten or more rebounds for the twelfth time this season, which leads the Panthers, while Massingale did it for the third time.

The Panthers will play their final five games of the regular season at BMCC Gymnasium for February beginning on the first day of the month on Saturday, against Region XV finalist Nassau Community College. The opening tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. For more information, please visit the BMCC Men's Basketball Schedule Page.
 

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