New York, New York - The BMCC men's basketball team came out punching from the get-go against a red-hot Dutchess Community College squad entering downtown Manhattan with a three-game winning streak on Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers shot 45% from the field (15-33 FG) in the first half and built a double-digit halftime lead before the Falcons changed the narrative in the second half shooting an impressive 70.8% from the field to rally from an 11-point halftime deficit holding off BMCC 76-66 in Region 15 action at BMCC Gymnasium. Dutchess Community College's fourth straight win moves them to 5-3 (3-1 Region XV), while the Panthers drop their second straight game falling to 1-4 (1-3 Region XV).
BMCC had three players score in double figures for the third time this season as freshman Daniel Laffitte (New York, New York) set a new career-high with 19 points, 12 of them in the first half, and missed his first career double-double by a rebound with a team-high nine on the afternoon. Classmates Amaziah Richberg (Brooklyn, New York) and Ysaia Marte (Bronx, New York) contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively. Freshman Abdoul Toure (Brooklyn, New York) dished out a team and career-high five assists while Laffitte corralled a team-best three steals.
The Panthers outrebounded the Falcons 37-32 and scored 18 points off 20 Dutchess Community College turnovers, while the Falcons scored 20 points off 24 BMCC turnovers. Dutchess outscored BMCC 44-36 in the paint and outshot them at the charity stripe 74.2% from the line (23-31 FT) to 53.3% from the line (8-15 FT).
Both squads would spend the first 16 combined points and 4:45 figuring each other out as it featured one lead change and four ties. The Panthers would finally take their first lead, 8-6 at 15:25, on a Leverson Tulien (Roslyn Heights, New York) layup before Williams tied it up again at eight. BMCC would score six of the following eight points to increase their advantage to six twice, 14-8 at 13:49 on a Leverson layup and a Jeremiah Cardi (New York, New York) jumper at 10:21 before Dutchess roared back with an 8-0 run to tie it up at 18 on a Joselito Rosario three-pointer at the 6:45 mark. The Panthers closed out the first half on a furious tear using a 10-0 run to take their first double-digit lead 28-18 at 4:10 on an Edgardo Sanchez (Brooklyn, New York) layup. BMCC outscored Dutchess CC 20-9 down the stretch building their lead to its largest of the afternoon 13, 38-25 on two Sanchez free throws at the 2:04 mark and carrying a 38-27 advantage into the halftime break.
The second-half shooting effort of both squads was night and day to the effort put up in the earlier period, as Dutchess Community College shot 70.8% from the field (17-24 FG) and held BMCC to 28.2% from the field (11-39 FG). The Falcons would construct a 10-2 run to cut the double-digit Panther lead to three, 40-37, at 16:59 on a Barnett layup. BMCC scored three of the next four points to increase the margin back to six, 43-37, at the 15:18 mark on a Richberg three-pointer before Dutchess CC clawed back with a 10-2 run to knot the game up at 45 on a pair of Potter Jr. free throws at 12:37. The Panthers and Falcons traded the following eight points as BMCC got their lead back up to four, with a Marte layup at 12:06 and a Jarrell Tatum (Bronx, New York) layin at 11:17 to make it 49-45. Two layups from Williams at 11:02, and Potter Jr. evened it up at 49.
The Panthers rolled off an 8-3 run to stretch their lead back to five, 57-52, at 7:28, then the Falcons provided a 14-3 run of their own to tie it at 60, stretch their advantage to six, 66-60 at the 3:07 mark on a Cherry layin. Marte's bucket cut the Dutchess CC lead to four, 68-64, at the 1:53 mark, but that was as close as it would get as the Falcons shut the door down the stretch to grab a 76-66 victory.
Sophomore Victor Potter Jr. imposed his will in the paint for the Falcons on the afternoon posting a double-double with a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds while turning away three shots, also a game-best. Classmate Jeremiah Williams dropped 13 points, while fellow upperclassmen Jacob Barnett and Zacchaeus Barnes scored 12 points each. Williams handed out team-high four assists while freshman Jonathan Chery grabbed three steals.
The Panthers head on the road for their next two games beginning on Tuesday, November 22 at 7 p.m. across the river against Passaic County Community College in Paterson, New Jersey. For more information, visit the BMCC Men's Basketball Schedule Page.
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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).
