New York, New York – After a dominant performance on Saturday afternoon, BMCC women's basketball Head Coach Barry Gonzalez's squad sought to replicate it in CUNYAC action Tuesday evening against LaGuardia Community College. From the opening tip, the Panther's confidence and momentum carried over from the weekend showed as they went off for their second straight 80-point game in a convincing 80-61 victory over the Red Hawks at BMCC Gymnasium in New York, New York. BMCC picked up their second straight victory, improving to 5-10 (4-4 CUNYAC), while LaGuardia fell to 2-11 (2-6 CUNYAC).
 
The Panthers have scored 80 points twice in a season for the first time since the 2000-01 season. The 2000-01 Region 15 Champion and NJCAA National Tournament squad that won 23 contests did it a total of four times that season, including twice in the Region 15 playoffs.  
 
The Panthers had four players in double figures for the second straight game and third time this season, with three of their five starters in double figures and sophomore Emily Kennedy (Brooklyn, New York) putting up a second consecutive triple-double. 
 
Freshman Kamella Ross (Bronx, New York) led all scorers with a career-high 19 points on a career-best 9-for-15 shooting (60 percent), with 11 of them in the first half. Kennedy scored 17 points and hauled down a team and career-high tied 14 rebounds for her team-leading eighth double-digit rebounding performance and 14th of her career while snatching a game-high 10 steals for her team-best third-double digit steal total this year. Kennedy missed a quadruple-double by two assists with eight on the night, tying for a team-high with freshman Patricia Perez (Brooklyn, New York).

Freshman Mariah Wigfall (New York, New York) put up her third straight double-figure game with 16 points and missed her third straight double-double by three with seven steals, while Perez drained a career-high 11 points and five field goals. Classmates Sheliyah Jackson (Bronx, New York) and Ross swatted away a team-high two shots each, and Jackson also recorded her fifth double-digit rebounding game of the season with 13 on the night.

The Panthers executed head coach Gonzalez's pressure-packed defensive system to the letter, forcing a season-high 50 Laguardia turnovers and scoring 38 points off of them, including 20 of those tallies in the second half. BMCC also registered their second consecutive 30-steal performance, tying a season-high with 33 steals and having seven different players grasp two or more steals in the contest. Wigfall had seven steals in the game, classmate Stephany Coward (Queens, New York) had five, while Perez, Ross, and Jackson joined fellow freshman Jania Simmons (Brooklyn, New York) with two steals each.
 
The Panther's balanced attack was also spearheaded on the evening by a season-high 23 assists, with seven different players recording a dime on the night. Jackson and Coward dished out two, while Ross, Wigfall, and Simmons each had one. BMCC also outscored LaGuardia 46-32 in the paint.
 
The first quarter featured four different lead changes and a tie as both teams went blow for blow with one another and one tie. BMCC scored the first four points to take a 4-0 lead on a Ross layup at the 9:41 mark, then Laguardia scored the following seven points to lead by three, 7-4 at the 8:10 mark on a steal and layup by Shemiah Sealey. The Panthers scored the following four points, capped off by a Ross jumper at 6:53 to put them back in front by one, 8-7, before the Red Hawks went on a 9-2 run over the next 2:06 to get their lead to its largest of the night six twice, 14-8 at 5:27 on a Sealey jumper and 16-10 at the 4:47 mark a pair of free throws from Olithia Roach. The Panthers responded with a 10-2 run to go back in front by two, 20-18 at 3:30 on a three-pointer by Coward before Jasmin Gutierrez tied it for LaGuardia C.C. at 20 on a jumper of her own at 3:10, which remained the result after one-quarter of play.
 
BMCC pulled away in the second quarter, outscoring LaGuardia 24-10 overall, getting their lead to double digits for the first time on the night, 10 at 4:13 on a layup from Perez off a Kennedy steal, then increased the margin to the biggest of the first half 16, 44-28 with 47 seconds left on a layin from Coward and taking a 44-30 lead into the halfway point.
 
The Panthers continued to dominate in the second half, leading 56-41 after three quarters and building their advantage to its largest of the contest, 21, 80-59, with 33 seconds left late in the fourth quarter on a jumper from Ross and finishing up with an 80-61 victory.
 
The Red Hawks also had four of their five in double figures, and three players recorded double-doubles. Olithia Roach led her squad with a game-high 20 points and 17 boards, while Shemiah Sealey chipped in with 19 points. Moutiatou Djibring brought down 15 rebounds and scored 12 points, while Jasmin Gutierrez had 11 boards and 10 points. Sealey and Gutierrez dished out a team-high tied three assists each, and Djibring blasted away a game-high four shots while tying Sealey and Gutierrez with three steals each.
 
The Panthers will look to keep this momentum going as they head to Garden City, New York, in Region 15 action against NJCAA Division III No. 14 nationally-ranked Nassau Community College at 1 p.m. For more information, visit the BMCC Women's Basketball Schedule Page.

Notables –
 - Emily Kennedy (Brooklyn, New York) has put up double-digit scoring efforts in all 14 games and 26 straight times dating back to the 2022-23 season, with 27 double-figure games in her last 28 contests. 
- Kennedy ranks in the top ten nationally in three statistical categories, ranking fourth in steals per game (5.4) and tying for fourth in steals (76) while also being tied for fifth in the country in assists per game (5.5).
- Kennedy is the Panthers top player leading the squad in 12 different categories in points (268), scoring average (19.1), field goals made (92), field goals attempted (206), free throws made (77), free throws attempted (123), rebounds (132), rebounding average (9.4), assists (77), assists per game (5.5), steals (76), and steals per game (5.4). 
 - Kennedy is fourth all-time in program history in two categories career steals (126) and career assists (114). Kennedy moved into fourth all-time in career assists surpassing Emani Odom total of 113 career assists.
- Kennedy has a team-best three double-digit steal games this year and two double-digit assist games.
- Kennedy moved into fifth all-time in school history with 541 career points, surpassing Eyandra Molina's 538 career points from 2008-2010.
- Kennedy also moved into 10th all-time in career rebounds with 257 for her career surpassing Kristen Merrell's total of 253 career rebounds.
- Freshman Mariah Wigfall (New York, New York) has been on a tear the last three games, averaging 18.3 points per game and 10 steals per game while averaging just over six assists per game. Wigfall is second on the Panthers with 60 steals and third with 92 rebounds.
- Freshman Kamella Ross (Bronx, New York) has double-digit scoring efforts on the season after recording a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds back on January 6, 2024, against Passaic County Community College.


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