New York, New York – After posting a career-high scoring effort eight days ago, it didn't take freshman Emily Kennedy (Brooklyn, New York) long to put up a new one as her career-best 29-point effort, with 12 of them coming in the fourth quarter, helped BMCC thwart off a late Laguardia C.C. surge 49-31 in CUNYAC action on Tuesday night at BMCC Gymnasium. The victory improves the Panthers to 3-12 (3-4 CUNYAC), while the Red Hawks drop to 2-13 (2-6 CUNYAC).

Kennedy also recorded her first career double-double ripping down a game-high 14 rebounds, while classmate Demaris Andrews (Bayonne, New Jersey) joined the party with her team-high fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Kennedy also recorded career highs shooting, going a career-best 9-for-25 from the field and 88.9% from the charity stripe (8-9 FT)
 
Andrews also dished out a game-high three assists and went a perfect 6-for-6 from the line. She also tied with sophomore Alicia Tomby (Berbice, Guyana) for team-best in steals with four in the contest.
 
The Panthers connected for a season-high 93.3% from the line (14-15 FT) while outrebounding the Redhawks 35-34. BMCC made the most of Laguardia Community College miscues scoring 23 points off of 29 Red Hawk turnovers while dominating the scoring in the paint 18-6.
 
The first quarter was back and forth between the squads featuring five lead changes and two ties. After two free throws from Kennedy at the 3:43 mark stretched the Panther lead to three, 11-7, the Red Hawks rang up four straight points to tie it for the second time at 11 at 3:01 on a Shemiah Sealey jumper. Kennedy closed out the scoring in the period with her eleventh point on a layup at 1:24 to give BMCC a 13-11 lead after one.
 
The Panthers suffocated the Red Hawks in the second quarter, holding them without a field goal (0-7 FG and 0-2 3PT), with all four points coming on free throws. BMCC grabbed the first four points and held Laguardia Community College scoreless over the first six and a half minutes as a Yisneily Morales (Bronx, New York) jumper at 7:04 stretched their lead to six, 17-11 before Sealey went 2-for-2 from the charity stripe at 6:32 to cut it down to a two-possession game 17-13. 
 
The Panthers finished the period on a tear with a 9-2 run capped off by a Kennedy three-pointer with three seconds left to get their lead to double digits for the first time on the afternoon, 26-15 at halftime.

The Red Hawks would not go away in the second half, outscoring the Panthers 11-3 in the period while holding them to 1-for-14 shooting. After Tomby knocked down BMCC's only field goal of the quarter on a jumper at 6:11 to make it 29-18, Laguardia registered the final eight points with a Sealey layin at 3:01, cutting the double-digit Panther lead to three, 29-26 that remained going into the final stanza.

The Panthers would end the suspense in the fourth quarter outscoring the Red Hawks 20-5 and opening the period on a ferocious 11-0 run with a Kennedy three-pointer at 5:45, bringing the BMCC lead back to double digits at 12, 38-26. After Talika Taylor went 1-for-2 at the line to make it 38-27 at 5:24, BMCC rolled off an 11-2 run building their lead to its largest of the night, 20, 49-29 on a three-point play by Kennedy with 34 seconds left en route to a 49-31 victory.
 
Laguardia Community College was led offensively by Shemiah Sealey with a team-high 14 points, while sophomore Brianna Edwards held it down on the glass and in the backcourt with a team-best eight boards and three steals. Sealey and Edwards also both for a team-high for assists with two each.
 
The Panthers will look to make it back-to-back victories for the first time this season as they host 2021-22 Region 15 semifinalist Nassau Community College on Saturday, January 28, at noon at BMCC Gymnasium. For more information, visit the BMCC women's basketball schedule page.

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