New York, New York | The BMCC men's basketball team's two-year reign as Conference Champions came to a close on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the 2020 CUNYAC Men's Basketball Championship with a 97-87 loss to second-seed Bronx Community College at BMCC Gymnasium. With the loss, the Panthers fall to 10-14 overall, while the Broncos improve to 13-15 and will face #1 seed Hostos in the CUNYAC Community College Men's Basketball Championship game this Friday. 

BMCC got a collection of scoring on the night, as three starters put up 20-point scoring efforts, and two of them posted double-doubles. Freshman Malik Bentinck (Queens, New York) registered his team-leading 17th double-double, with team-high 21 points and a game-best 12 rebounds, while sophomores Terrance McBride (Brooklyn, New York) and Curtis Smith (Brooklyn, NY) both scored 20 points apiece and McBride hauled down ten boards. McBride and freshmen Elvys Ceballos (New York City, New York) and Kadeem Jones (Jamaica, Queens) all tied for a team-high in assists with four each. 

Ceballos rounded out the Panthers' double-digit scorers with 12 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double, grabbing nine rebounds and snatching a team-best three steals, while Jones added eight points on the evening.  

Bronx Community College shot 50.7-percent (36-for-71), including 58.1-percent in the second half (18-for-31), and made the most of the Panthers 21 turnovers by scoring 21 points off of them. BMCC outrebounded the Broncos, 45-36, but were outscored in the Paint 52-42.  

The Bronx scored five of the first seven points in the opening two minutes of action before BMCC responded with a 9-0 run - eight points coming from Bentinck (2 FGS and 4-4 FT) and Ceballos going 1-for-2 at the line - to grab their biggest of the night - six points - 11-5, at 15:55. The Broncos fought back with an 8-2 run of their own to knot the game up at 13 at 13:51, then put together a 22-4 surge over the next seven minutes to build a game-high 18 point lead, 35-17, at 6:52 on a fast break layup off of a steal.

The Panthers roared right back with a 12-2 run over the next three and half minutes to get the deficit back down to single digits, 37-29 on a Ceballos three-pointer with 3:30 to go. The Broncos got the advantage back to double-digits on the following possession and took a 48-36 lead it into the halftime break.  

The Panthers trailed by as many as 15 points, 60-41, with 16:17 to go in the second half, cutting down the nine points twice, 63-54 on a Eric Massingale (Brooklyn, New York) layup at 13:54 and 76-67 at 7:15 on a pair of McBride free-throws. Bronx Community College got the advantage back up to 13 points, 80-67, with 7:03 remaining. However, BMCC would not go quietly using a furious 14-2 run - nine of the points by Bentinck (3 FGS and 4-4 FT, with two of each resulting from two three-point plays) and a pair of McBride free-throws and a three-pointer made by Smith - over the next three minutes to get within one, 82-81, with 3:58 to go. 

The Broncos racked up the next five points, and then the Panthers were able to get back within two, 85-83, 57 seconds later on a jumper by Smith, before the Broncos went 1-for-2 at the charity stripe to go back up 86-83. On the following possession, BMCC had a chance to tie it up and get back within one. However, Smith missed a three-pointer at 2:25 and a layup 13 seconds later off an offensive rebound by Ceballos, as Bronx Community Community pulled away down the stretch en route to a 97-87 victory.  

For the Broncos, sophomore Tilquan Rucker dropped a game-high 35 points and knocked down a team-high five three-pointers, while fellow sophomore Malik Hamilton added 32 points and notched his 1000th career point in the second half. Upperclassman Stephen Glover rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points, and fellow upperclassman William Paradise dished out a career-high ten assists and just missed a double-double by one point, with nine points.  

Notables:  

• Malik Bentinck (Queens, New York) recorded his team-leading 17th double-double on the year and his fifth straight to conclude the 2019-20 season. Terrance McBride (Brooklyn, New York) finished his Panther career with his second double-double of the year, which is second on the team.
• Bentinck also led the Panthers on the glass with 17 double-digit rebounding performances, while bringing down 280 total rebounds for the year, which was fourth-most at BMCC in a single-season and ninth overall in school history.
• Bentinck posted his team-best twelfth 20-point performance of the year, and his fifth straight to end the season while McBride recorded his eleventh, which is second on the team and Curtis Smith (Brooklyn, NY) posted his eighth 20-point performance to conclude his career.
• In one stellar season, McBride finished fourth-most in a single-season in points (516) and points per game (21.6), while moving into 11th in program history with 516 career points passing Brandon Herriot. He also concluded his Panther career with a seventh straight double-figure game and his team-leading 23rd in 24 games this season.
• McBride also posted three other career-bests, leading the team in assists (109) and steals (46), while finishing second in rebounds with 119.
• Bentinck was second on the team with 22 double-figure games in 24 games, including nine straight to end the 2019-20 campaign. 
• Bentinck also racked up 438 total points on the season, which is seventh-most at BMCC in a single-season and 20th overall in program history.
• Elvys Ceballos (New York City, New York) finishes up with back-to-back double-figure games and 15 overall, which are third on the team, and Smith recorded his 26th career double-digit scoring output to end his time at BMCC.
• Smith concludes his time at BMCC eighth in program history with 584 career points.
• Smith also finishes tied for fifth in BMCC program history with 70 career three-pointers made, while his 148 career assists are seventh in school history. 
• McBride finishes his time 17th in program history with 109 career assists.

ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
The athletic program at Borough of Manhattan Community College encompasses a total of six varsity teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level. For the latest news on the Panthers, please visit us at https://bmccathletics.com - The official site of BMCC Athletics. Follow the Panthers on Instagram (@bmcc_athletics) and Twitter (@BMCCAthletics), and Like Us on Facebook (BMCC Athletics).