New York, New York - With all 15 players on the roster fired up for their home opener and hungry for a win, the BMCC men's basketball team was not going to let another halftime lead get away from them.
The Panthers put together a complete effort as four players posted double-digit scoring efforts for their first victory of the 2022-23 season fending off CUNYAC opponent Queensborough C.C. 80-69 on Tuesday night at BMCC Gymnasium. The Panthers move to 1-2 (1-0 CUNYAC) with the win, while the Tigers drop to 1-4 (0-1 CUNYAC) with the loss.
Three of the five Panthers starters finished the night in double-figures. Sophomore Jeremiah Cardi (New York, New York) spearheaded the offensive effort with a team-high 21 points, 16 in the second half, and a game-high five assists. Freshmen Daniel Laffitte (New York, New York) and Amaziah Richberg (Brooklyn, New York) both rang up a career-highs with 16 points, with 11 of Laffitte's coming in the first half and nine of Richberg's coming in the second half. Classmate Leverson Tulien (Roslyn Heights, New York) registered his team-leading second double-double of the season, hauling down a game-high 11 rebounds to go along with 12 points. Tulien also led the Panthers with five steals in the contest.
The Panthers took care of the basketball well, only committing 15 turnovers while forcing 27 and scoring 28 points off of them. BMCC controlled the scoring in the paint 34-24.
The Panthers led the entire contest getting out of the gate quickly and jumping out to a 10-1 lead courtesy of an Abdoul Toure (Brooklyn, New York) layup at 16:26. BMCC would stretch the lead to nine, 12-3, on a Laffitte layup at 15:39 before Queensborough C.C. scored eight of the following 12 points to cut the deficit to five, 16-11 at 11:45 on a Walters layup. The Panthers would score 11 of the next 18 points to get their lead back to nine, 27-18, at 4:21 on a Richberg jumper before the Tigers finished out the period on a 15-1 run to cut the deficit down to five, 33-28 at the halftime break.
BMCC would not let their foot off the gas in the second half building their lead to double digits for the time 46-33 at 14:27 on a Toure layup before Queensborough Community College made one more furious push with a 14-3 run to get the deficit down to two, 49-47 at 10:32 on two Flores free throws. The Panthers cruised the rest of the way, outscoring the Tigers 27-15, getting the lead to its largest of the night, 14 at the 3:06 mark on a pair of Cardi free throws to make it 76-62. BMCC would carry that momentum to the final horn for an 80-69 victory.
Queensborough Community College had two players ring up 20-point scoring performances on the evening, led by freshman Anthony Walter's game-high 25 points, while sophomore Stephon Flores had 23 points. Freshman Bryan Godette also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and dished out three assists, also a team-best.
The Panthers will look for two straight victories on Thursday, November 17, against the 2022 Region 15 Champion Monroe-Bronx Express at 7 p.m. at BMCC Gymnasium. For more information, visit the BMCC Men's Basketball Schedule Page.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
The athletic program at Borough of Manhattan Community College encompasses a total of eight 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).
