Selden, New York – On Tuesday night, the BMCC women's basketball team was bested 46-29 by Suffolk County Community College in the 2023 Region 15 Quarterfinals at Brookhaven Gymnasium in Selden, New York. The victory improves the Sharks to 12-6 on the season and advance to the Region 15 semifinals against the top-seeded Monroe Express this Saturday, March 4th, at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, New York.

The Panther's 2022-23 season comes to a close, with the loss finishing up with a 7-16 record. BMCC took significant strides this season after just playing four games a season ago and going 0-4, winning seven contests, the most since the 2017-18 season, and making the 2023 CUNYAC CC Women's Championship game for the first time since the 2018-19.
 
Freshman Demaris Andrews (Bayonne, New Jersey) led the Panthers attack with her fourth straight double-figure scoring performance with a game-high 19 points on a career-best 13-for-14 from the free throw line (92.8 FT%). Classmate Emily Kennedy (Brooklyn, New York) posted her third straight double-double and her sixth in the last eight games with a team-high 10 rebounds and 10 points. Underclassman Yisneily Morales (Bronx, New York) snagged a game-best tied three steals, and classmate Kayla Rodriguez (Brooklyn, New York) hauled down seven boards.
 
Buckets were tough to come by for the Panthers in the first half as they went 2-for-17 shooting with their only two first-quarter points coming on free throws from Andrews at 1:20 to make it 10-2 before an Amy Rice three-pointer with 58 seconds left gave the Sharks a 13-2 lead after one. BMCC would get off to a better start in the second quarter, scoring three of the first four points again on free throws when Andrews went 2-for-2 at the 9:47 mark, and Kennedy went 1-for-2 at the charity stripe at 8:48 to cut the Suffolk lead to 13-5.
 
The Sharks rang off six consecutive points to stretch their lead to its largest mark of the first half, 14, 19-5 at the 4:33 mark on a Mia Khan layin. The Panthers finished the period strong with an 8-2 run knocking down their only two field goals of the first half, first on a Kennedy layup at 4:22 and an Andrews jumper at 2:08 and four straight free throws off of a Suffolk technical foul with five seconds to go cutting the deficit down to seven, 20-13 going into the halftime break.
 
The Panthers would not go away in the second half, grabbing four of the first five points on a pair of free throws from Kennedy at 8:43 and Andrews at 8:03 to cut it to a two-possession game, 21-17. The Sharks ended the suspense the rest of the way, exploding for a 14-3 run capped off by a Mia Khan layup with 30 seconds to give them a 33-20 advantage going into the final stanza.
 
Suffolk C.C. would continue to cruise in the fourth quarter milking the clock and building their lead to its biggest of the night, 17, 46-29, with 51 seconds remaining and keeping that result as the horn sounded for the win.
 
Suffolk Community College had two players finish the evening in double figures, and two register double-digit rebounding efforts. Aaliyah Shorter led all scorers with a team-high 12 points, while Amy Rice chipped in with 11 points and tied a game-high for assists with three alongside Makayla Hartcorn. Alexandra Walbroehl, a 2023 Region 15 First Team selection, dominated the glass with a game-high 20 rebounds, while Hartcorn ripped down 11 boards of her own. Rice and Kerry Fitt tied a game-best with three steals apiece, while Fitt missed a double-double by one rebound and point with nine points and nine boards.
 

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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).