BALTIMORE, MD. – The Baltimore City Community College men's basketball hosted the annual Ben Williams Classic over the weekend and finished 1-1.

After opening the season with 3 losses in Florida, the Panthers rallied and finish the fall semester at 8-5.  In the opening game of the Ben Williams Classic, the Panthers dropped a hard fought battle to Cape Fear Community College 92-88.  BCCC responded against on Sunday with a 94-81 defeat of Frederick Community College.

On Saturday, the Panthers dropped a 92-88 decision to Cape Fear CC out of North Carolina.  BCCC got down 9-2 to start the game after Cape Fear hit three consecutive '3' point shots which proved to be the demise of the Panthers.  Cape Fear shot 45% from the arc making 13-29 shots.  The Panthers were able to force 26 turnovers and dominated the offensive glass as they battled back in the second half to tie it at 73 all.  After a timeout, Cape Fear hit a '3' and had two traditional 3 point plays to take a 82-83 lead.  But, the Panthers continued to fight back.  Down 91-88, Baltimore City had 2 straight possessions where they executed perfectly only to miss the game tying '3's.  Leading scorers for Cape Fear were Jacque Brown with 19 points and Trae Bryant with 17.  Haneef Vaughn-Wilson led the Panthers with 25 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists and 1 block.  Chad Andrews Fulton had 24 points and 8 rebounds while Joe Hugley chipped in with 22 points.   

In Sunday's contest, the Panthers jumped out to a 5 point half-time lead at 46-41.  They opened the lead to 17 with 4:36 to go in the second half before closing out the Cougars 94-81.  Keith Claiborne led Frederick with 17 points and 6 assists.  Deion Evans came off the bench to lead BCCC with 24 points on 10-13 shooting from the field.  Chad Andrews-Fulton filled up the stat sheet with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks.  In foul trouble most of the game, Joe Hugley had a productive 17 points and 6 rebounds in 15 minutes of action.  6'1" guard Haneef Vaughn Wilson had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.  He also added 7 assists, 3 steals, and a block.

The Panthers have time to celebrate the holidays before coming back home on Wednesday, January 4 to take part in a MD JUCO doubleheader against Cecil College 7p.m.

Come out and support BCCC athletics and join the "Panther Nation".

Remember you can follow BCCC athletics on our website www.bcccpanthers.com, on Facebook Baltimore City Community College Panthers and on Instagram and Twitter @BCCCPanthers.

- BCCC -