Kerel Mitchell had a career-high 29 points, one of five Panthers in double figures as the SUNY College at Old Westbury men's basketball team defeated the Yeshiva Maccabees 89-81 on Thursday night in Skyline Conference road action.  Old Westbury (5-2) improved to 3-0 in conference play while Yeshiva (4-6) moved to 4-3. 

Kerel Mitchell's jumper and a triple by Rashawn McCarthy put Old Westbury up early with a 5-0 lead.  Yeshiva replied with a 27-9 run from 18:00 to 9:17 to go up 27-14.  A late dunk by Josh Hill with 55 seconds left brought the Panthers within single digits as Yeshiva went into the half up 40-31. 

The second half featured three lead changes, with Old Westbury grabbing the lead for good with 10:31 remaining when Everard Bisnauth drained a trey to make it 61-60.  Yeshiva made one final surge late with a Gil Bash three-pointer with 51 seconds left to pull within three, 84-81.  Rashawn McCarthy answered with a jumper for Old Westbury for an 86-81 lead.  Omari Trebuse sank a free-throw and dropped in a layup in the final eight seconds to secure Old Westbury's victory.   

Mitchell was joined by Josh Hill (17), Rashawn McCarthy (13), Everard Bisnauth (12) and Rob Sanders (11) in double figures.  It was Mitchell's fourth game of the season with at least 20 points, finishing 11-of-15 from the field, including 7-of-10 from three-point range. McCarthy dished out five assists while Omari Trebuse led all players with eight helpers and three steals.  Rob Sanders pulled down a season-high nine boards.

Gil Bash's 23 points paced Yeshiva, followed by Benjy Ritholtz, who scored 22.  Bash racked up seven assists while David Schmelzer added nine.  Shlomo Weissberg grabbed a team-best eight rebounds and scored 10 points.     

Old Westbury won the boards battle, 31-30, while turning 15 offensive boards into 21 second chance points.  Old Westbury also converted 18 Yeshiva turnovers into 30 points.  Old Westbury shot a season-best 52.5 percent from the field, 60.9 percent from three-point territory and 84.6 percent from the free-throw line.  Yeshiva hit 48.1 percent from the floor, 55 percent from beyond the arc and 76.9 percent from the charity stripe. 

LEHMAN LIGHTNING UP NEXT FOR THE PANTHERS: Old Westbury returns to the hardwood for a non-conference road battle on Thursday (Dec. 20) evening, taking on the Lehman Lightning in Bronx, New York.  Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. from APEX Arena.