Selden, New York – After their first 10 contests of the 2022-23 campaign, the BMCC men's basketball team is currently playing their best basketball of the year, continuing to build on their success game after game. The Panthers used a 20-3 second-half run through the first six and half minutes to roll to a 66-47 victory over Region 15 opponent Suffolk County Community College on the road in Selden, New York. BMCC extended their winning streak to five, their biggest since the 2018-19 season, improving to 6-4 (5-3 Region XV), while the loss drops Suffolk to 4-8 (3-5 Region XV).
The Panthers got double-digit scoring efforts from all five starters, with freshman Ysaia Marte (Bronx, New York) leading the charge with a team-high 15 points, with 11 of them in the second half. Sophomore Jeremiah Cardi (New York, New York) and freshmen Daniel Laffitte (New York, New York) and Jayden Jarrett (Bronx, New York) scored 11 points apiece. Freshman Leverson Tulien (Roslyn Heights, New York) had 10 points, while fellow underclassman Edgardo Sanchez (Brooklyn, New York) and Cardi also handed out a team-best three assists each. Tulien missed his team-leading fourth double-double by two rebounds, hauling down a game-high eight.
Tulien also snagged a game-high six steals to lead the BMCC defense, while Cardi grabbed five. Tulien also tied fellow freshman Jarrett with a team-high two blocks on the night.
BMCC gobbled up a season-high 23 steals in the contest and their third straight game with 20 or more steals. For the fourth consecutive game, the Panthers outrebounded their opponent 41-24 and have controlled the rebounding margin by a 216-164 advantage over their five-game winning streak while they have been shooting 43.7% from the field (161-368 FG), including a 43.5% (27-62 FG) shooting effort from the field against the Sharks. The Panthers also scored 22 points off 18 Shark turnovers while outscoring them in the paint 32-20.
Over the first 12 minutes, both teams traded blows with four lead changes and two ties through the first 16:14 of action. Tulien's jumper at 15:54 stretched the Panther lead to five, 14-9, before the Sharks scored six of the following eight points on two three-pointers from Yvan Aime-Fils at 15:25 to cut the deficit down to two, 14-12, and another from Amari Issacs at the 11:43 to cut it to one, 16-15. BMCC took control the rest of the first half with a 13-3 run to get their lead for double-digits for the first time, 29-18 on a Marte layup at 1:21 before carrying a 29-20 lead into the halftime break.
The Panthers kept their foot on the gas the first 6:30 of the second half, mounting a furious 20-3 run, stretching their lead to its biggest of the night, 26, 49-23, with a Tulien layup at the 13:36 mark. BMCC held the Sharks to 1-of-7 shooting during the run. Suffolk put together one more rally with a 22-4 run cutting the BMCC lead down to eight, 53-45, on a Joshua Fenner at 7:01.
The Panthers closed the door during the final seven minutes of the contest with a 13-2 run, with Laffitte's layup at the 1:35 mark to put an exclamation point on it and holding the Sharks to one field goal en route to 66-47 victory.
Suffolk County Community College had two players in double figures, led by a game-high 18 points from Amari Isaacs, while Joshua Fenner chipped in with 11 points. Angel Duran handed out three assists while Yvan Fils-Aime ripped down a team-best six rebounds and turned away a game-high three shots. Duran also recorded three steals in the contest.
The Panthers are looking to extend their winning streak to six and close out the 2022 calendar year on a high note when they travel to CUNYAC foe Laguardia Community College on Tuesday, December 20, at 7 p.m. 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).
