New York, New York | Sophomore Terrance McBride (Brooklyn, New York) drove down the left-wing and into the lane for a game-winning layup with 4.7 seconds left as BMCC men's basketball team fought off Queensborough, 85-84, in CUNYAC action on Tuesday evening at BMCC Gymnasium. The victory snaps the Panthers' four-game losing skid, improving them to 10-10 (4-3 CUNYAC), while the defeat drops the Tigers to 11-11 (3-5 CUNYAC). 

Four of the Panthers starting five scored in double-figures on the night, and three players posted double-doubles for the second time this year. On the hardwood, freshman Malik Bentinck (Queens, New York) put up his team-leading 13th double-double of the season, tying for the game-high with 25 points while also grabbing a game-best 13 rebounds. 

McBride recorded his second first double-double of the year with 16 points and career-best 12 boards, while classmate Curtis Smith (Brooklyn, New York) posted the first of his Panther career, scoring 13 points and bringing down a career-high ten rebounds. Smith also dished out a team-high three assists. Freshman Elvys Ceballos (New York City, New York) scored 18 points on a career-best 9-for-23 shooting from the field to along with a team-best four steals. Classmate William Brown (Brooklyn, New York) swatted away a career-high and game-high three shots, and fellow underclassman Eric Massingale (Brooklyn, New York) grabbed nine boards. 

In a game with 18 lead changes and eight ties, BMCC won despite allowing a season-high 15 three-pointers. The Panthers shot 43.5% in the second half (20-for-46) and 40% overall (36-for-90). BMCC also out-rebounded the Queensborough 58-35 and outscored them 56-26 in the paint.

The Panthers held the lead for a majority of the opening half, building up a six-point advantage, 18-12, on a Bentinck layup at 10:03 before the Tigers fought back with a 12-4 run to take their first lead at 24-22 at 6:15. After BMCC tied the game at 24 on an Emmanuel Adenekan (Bronx, New York) tip-in at 5:29, the two teams quickly exchanged leads three times over the next minute and a half, and then Queensborough went back ahead 29-27 on a Devon Matthews three-pointer at 4:28. The Tigers kept the lead the rest of the way going into halftime up 41-39.

The second half was back-and-forth as the score was tied seven times, and there were 15 lead changes throughout the 20 minutes. Bentinck drained a pair of free-throws at 18:41 to tie the score at 41, and then Queensborough went on an 8-2 run to push their lead to six, 49-43, on a Mark Blair three-pointer at 17:12. The Panthers scored the next eight points over the next six-minutes - four of them from two Bentinck layups and a lay-in each from McBride and Ceballos - to go back in front 52-51, before Yasin Abdur-Rasid knocked down a three at 13:20 to give the lead right back to the Tigers 52-51. 

BMCC took another six-point lead, 58-52, with seven straight points - four points coming from Smith, a free-throw by Bentinck, and a jumper from Ceballos - before Queensborough fought back with a 10-4 to tie it at 62 after Matthews connected on a jumper at 9:19. The lead changed seven times over the next two minutes, until the Panthers expanded their lead to three, 73-70, on a Kadeem Jones (Jamaica, Queens) three-pointer at 6:29. The Tigers fought back to tie the score three times over the next minute before an Abdur-Rashid drilled a three with three minutes left to put them back in front by one, 80-79.

The lead changed hands five more times during the final three minutes of the half, as Ceballos drained a three-pointer to give BMCC back the lead 81-80, Blair hit a layup to give Queensborough back the 82-81 lead, and then McBride went a perfect 2-for-2 at the charity to put the Panthers back ahead by one, 83-82 at 1:38. Blair raced down and buried a leaner with 16 seconds left to give back the lead to Queensborough 84-83. 

With their final possession, the Panther got the ball to McBride on the left-wing. He dribbled to the hoop and floated a shot over the outstretched left arm of Tiger guard Stephon Flores to put BMCC back in front 85-84. After a 30-second Queensborough timeout, the ball was in-bounded, and a potential game-winning desperation off-balance three-pointer by Rashid-Abdur fell way short, clinching the victory for the Panthers.

Queensborough Community College had four players score in double-figures, with two of them reaching the 20-point plateau on the night, led by sophomore guard Devon Matthew's 25 points. Matthews also dished out a game-high seven assists and grabbed eight rebounds on the night. Classmate Mark Blair put up a double-double, with 20 points and team-high 11 rebounds, while also snatching two steals, tying a team-best. Freshman guard Yasin Abdur-Rashid drained 18 points and a game-high five three-pointers, while also tying a team-high with two steals. Fellow upperclassman Justin Wilson chipped in with 10 points on the evening. 

Notables: 

• The Panthers had four or more players in double-figures for the eleventh time this season, with Terrance McBride (Brooklyn, New York) leading the way with a team-high 19 double-figure performances in 20 games this season, including three straight. 
• Malik Bentinck (Queens, New York) is second on the team with 18 double-figure games and has hit that mark in 5 consecutive games, while classmate Elvys Ceballos (New York City, New York) has scored in double-figures 14 times, which is third on the team.
• Sophomore Curtis Smith (Brooklyn, New York) scored in double-figures for a third straight game and for the fifth time this season. 
• Bentinck finished with his eighth 20-point game of the season, which is good for second on the team.
• BMCC had three players finish with double-doubles for the first time since last year against Dutchess Community College (Nov. 23, 2019), while also having two or more players finish with a double-double for the fourth time this season and second in the last three games.
• Bentinck recorded his team-best 13th double-double on the year and his second in his last three games, while McBride notched his second double-double performance of the season dating back to Nov. 23, 2019, against Dutchess Community College.
• Smith finished with the first double-double of his career.           

The Panthers will look to build on their momentum during their five-game homestand to end the regular season this Saturday, Feb. 8, against Rockland Community College. The opening tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. at BMCC Gymnasium. For more information, please visit the BMCC Men's Basketball Schedule Page.


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