New York, New York - The BMCC men's basketball team came into Saturday's Region 15 battle hungry for a victory, with the 2023 CUNYAC and Region 15 Tournament just a couple of weeks away. The Panthers answered the bell as a season-high six players scored in double figures, and three put up double-doubles to help fight off the Sharks 78-69 on Saturday afternoon at BMCC Gymnasium. The win snaps the Panther's three-game skid, improving them to 9-9 (8-8 Region XV), while the Sharks drop to 7-13 (5-9 Region XV) with the loss.
 
BMCC received a balanced scoring effort on the afternoon, with all five starters scoring in double figures and two putting up double-double efforts. Sophomore Jeremiah Cardi (New York, New York) led all scorers with a team-high 16 points and dished out a team-best five assists. Classmate Adewale Fasanmi (Brooklyn, New York) ripped down a career and game-best 14 rebounds and scored 15 points for his second double-double of the season, while freshman Leverson Tulien (Roslyn Heights, New York) posted his team-leading fifth double-double with 13 rebounds and 11 points.
 
Freshman Daniel Laffitte (New York, New York) contributed 14 points and gobbled up a game-high four steals, while classmates Ysaia Marte (Bronx, New York) and Jayden Jarrett (Bronx, New York) chipped in with 10 points apiece. Jarrett posted his third double-double of the season with 10 boards in the contest, and Fasanmi turned away a game-best three shots.

The Panthers had an excellent day on offense, shooting a season-best 55.6% from three-point range (5-for-6) and outgunning the Sharks from the field 49.1% to 43.3%. BMCC's also shot 91.3% from the line and knocked down 21 free throw attempts, which were both good for second most this season while outrebounding Suffolk Community College 48-24 in the contest.

After both teams traded the first eight points, Suffolk Community College put together a 7-0 run capped off by a Yvan Fils-Aime fastbreak dunk at 15:35, making it 11-4. BMCC mounted a 10-4 run of their own to cut the lead to one, 15-14 after Cardi stole an ill-advised pass at the left elbow, which led to a Jarrett fastbreak layin on a feed from Laffitte at 12:25. After an Angel Duran layin on a backdoor play made it 28-20 at the 7:54 mark, the Panthers responded with a 7-0 run to get within one, 28-27 on a Fasanmi layup underneath with 5:12 to go. Suffolk registered five of the following seven points to lead by three 33-30 at 3:49 on a Joshua Fenner three-pointer before BMCC finished on a tear with an 8-2 run as Laffitte stole a pass up top and took it the other way for a fastbreak layin at 3:03 to make it 34-33 for the Panther's first lead since early in the first half. A pair of Marte free-throws with five seconds remaining capped off the strong finish to the first half giving the Panthers a 38-35 advantage going into the halftime break.

The Panthers kept that momentum going to kick off the second half with an 11-2 run to get the lead to double digits, 12, 49-37 at 16:23 on a Laffitte three-pointer. BMCC held the double-digit advantage throughout most of the second half, but Suffolk Community College would not go away. The Sharks utilized a 7-0 run and cut the lead to 68-64 at 4:29 when Fenner went 1-for-2 at the line, then got it down to a one-possession game to three, 70-67 at 3:30 on a Thomas Hanley three. The Panthers took control from there on out with an 8-2 run capped off by a pair of Marte free throws to make it a 78-69 final.

Joshua Fenner led the Suffolk Community College offensive attack with a game-high 28 points, while Amari Issacs added 13 points and dished out a game-best six assists. Yvan Fils-Aime also ripped down a team-best seven rebounds and tied with Garrett Kain in blocks with two apiece, while Issacs grabbed a team-high three steals.

The Panthers close out the home portion of their regular season against CUNYAC opponent Hostos Community College at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, February 7, at BMCC Gymnasium. For more information, visit the BMCC Men's Basketball Schedule Page.


ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
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).