Jan 25, 2014
OLD WESTBURY, NY (www.OLDWESTBURYPANTHERS.com) - The SUNY College at Old Westbury men's basketball team snapped a two-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Sage Gators 76-68 in a Skyline Conference matchup at home. As a result, the Panthers move into fourth place in the conference standings, passing Sage (10-7, 6-4 Skyline) in the process, and improve to 10-6 in all competitions and 6-3 in conference play.
Old Westbury came out firing in the first half, scoring 14 of the game's initial 15 points before building a 17-point lead at 11:31. The Gators fired back with a run of their own and cut the lead down to 11, but Old Westbury countered with a 12-4 run to bury their opponents in a 20-point hole with 3:27 remaining in the first frame. The Panthers would eventually carry a 49-31 lead into the half.Two and a half minutes into the second half Old Westbury forged a game-high 21-point lead, but a 21-6 run over the course of the next ten minutes by the Gators shrunk the Panthers' lead to just six points. Four minutes later, the Gators battled back even further and found themselves within striking distance down 66-63. But a clutch layup by Floyd Leroy seconds later steadied the ship and the Panthers capitalized on their final free throws to ensure the eight-point victory.
While Sage outscored the Panthers from the bench (23-20), Old Westbury held the edge in fast-break points (14-7) and points in the paint (32-28), despite being the smaller of the two teams.
Ray Parker registered a game-high 20 points, while Omari Trebuse (18) and Floyd Leroy (16) also contributed significantly. Leroy also shared the lead in rebounds (9) with teammate Dom Bostick and opponent Mason Horne.
Horne also registered seven points, and in the process set a career-points record for Sage. Jeff Stopera led the way for the Gators in the game, though, scoring 15 points and registering game-highs in assists (6) and steals (4).
ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE L.I. GOLDEN EAGLES UP NEXT FOR THE PANTHERS: Old Westbury continues its conference campaign on Wednesday (January 29) when they travel to Patchouge, New York to take on the St. Joseph's College L.I. Golden Eagles. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside Danzi Center.
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