New York, New York - Monroe-Bronx used an 18-2 run to open a 35-20 halftime lead and never looked back against the BMCC men's basketball team en route to a 71-54 Region 15 road victory on Thursday night at BMCC Gymnasium. The Express move to 4-1 (2-0 Region XV) with the victory, while the Panthers fall to 1-3 (1-2 Region XV).
Two of the five Panthers starters scored in double figures, led by freshman Leverson Tulien (Roslyn Heights, New York), who dropped a team-high 14 points and dished out a team-best three assists, while classmate Amaziah Richberg (Brooklyn, New York) chipped in with 12 points. In addition, underclassman Daniel Laffitte (New York, New York) hauled down a career-best 11 rebounds, and Tulien swatted away a game-high three shots while freshman Edgardo Sanchez (Brooklyn, New York) and Richberg grabbed a team-best two steals each.
The difference in the game was the bench scoring, with Monroe-Bronx outscoring BMCC 30-11 while the Express outrebounded the Panthers 45-41.
Both teams spent the first eight minutes feeling each other out, combining for 4-for-20 from the field and eight points. The Panthers rang up seven of the following 11 points to grab their biggest lead of the game by three, 8-11, at 11:52 on a layup by freshman Abdoul Toure (Brooklyn, New York). Monroe-Bronx recorded the next five points to go back in front 13-11 on a three-pointer by Chad Duke at 9:01 before BMCC posted a 7-4 run to tie the game at 15 at 7:39 on a layup by Laffitte and took back the lead at 7:02 when freshman Ysaia Marte (Bronx, New York) went 1-for-2 at the charity stripe to make it 18-17.
The Express exploded for an 18-2 run during the final 6:56 of the first half to take a 35-20 advantage into halftime.
Monroe-Bronx kept that momentum going in the second half, building their lead to its largest mark by 21, 51-30 at 13:21 on a Saddiq McNair jumper. BMCC made two strong pushes during the final 6:31, roaring for a 17-7 run to cut the deficit down to 11, 58-47 at 6:51 on a pair of Richberg free-throws and get as close as ten with 1:12 left on a layup by sophomore Jeremiah Cardi (New York, New York). The Express cruised the rest of the way to a 71-54 victory.
Sophomore Saddiq McNair and Freshman Andrew Molina came off the bench to spearhead the Express offensive effort, with McNair draining a game-high 17 points and Molina contributing 11 points. In addition, underclassman Abubakar Kromah ripped down a game-high 14 rebounds, and sophomore Jasigha Barnes handed out a game-high four assists.
The Panthers will regroup and look to return to their winning ways over the weekend against Region 15 opponent Dutchess Community College on Saturday, November 19, at noon at BMCC Gymnasium. For more information, visit the BMCC Men's Basketball Schedule Page.
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