Jan 11, 2014
OLD WESTBURY, NY (www.OLDWESTBURYPANTHERS.com) - The SUNY College at Old Westbury men's basketball team defeated the visiting Mount Saint Vincent Dolphins at home Saturday afternoon with a 95-77 Skyline Conference final. The strong performance by the Panthers helped improve their overall record to 10-4 as well as 5-1 in conference play while sending the Dolphins to 1-12 on the season and 0-7 in conference action.
The Panthers came out a little cold, converting just 2-of-10 from the field to start the game. What followed was a 27-11 run, including five three-pointers, which set Old Westbury up with a 32-19 lead. The Panthers led by as much as 18 in the opening half. Capitalizing off turnovers was a key element as well, scoring 19 points off Mount Saint Vincent's 15 follies. With solid defense and timely shooting, the Panthers entered the half with a 42-27 advantage.
Unlike the start of the first half, the Panthers came out of the break with high energy, immediately propelling them into an 8-2 run. Their inspired play out of the locker room extended the lead to a game-high 21 points. With 7:10 left in the half, the Dolphins went on a 11-2 run of their own, slicing the Old Westbury lead to only 10 points. After that point, Old Westbury was efficient, finishing the Dolphins off with an 18-12 run to sure up the 18 point victory. Defense proved to be key as the Panthers accrued nine blocks and nine steals as a unit, finishing with nine more blocks and seven more steals than Mount Saint Vincent had.
Leading the way for the Panthers was Floyd Leroy, who finished with a career-high 27 points, including 10-of-12 from the charity stripe. Leroy also added nine rebounds, two blocks and two steals to complete a very well-rounded night. Also excelling on the offensive side was Ray Parker and Mark Gjonlekaj who contributed 24 and 22 points, respectively. Gjonlekaj also hit 4-of-6 from three-point land to record his career-high 22 points while Parker sank 10-of-11 from the stripe to tie a career-high point total. On the defensive side, Andrew Andries dominated, contributing 12 rebounds (seven offensive), four blocks and three steals to go along with a career-high 10 points to record his first-career double-double. Omari Trebuse led the Panthers with five assists.
Pacing the Dolphins was Brandon Serrano, who registered a game-high 35 points, while also collecting 12 rebounds. Antonio Johnson added 22 points, including six three-pointers to go along with six assists. Serrano and Johnson accounted for all but 20 of the Dolphins points.
Old Westbury shot 46.3 percent from the field (31-67), 36.4 percent from three-point territory (8-22) and 83.3 percent from the free-throw line (25-30) while the Dolphins connected on 41.2 percent from the floor (26-68), 33.3 percent from downtown (8-24) and 68.4 percent from the line (13-19). Old Westbury won the boards battle, 37-31, and scored 27 second chance points off 15 offensive rebounds.
FARMINGDALE STATE RAMS UP NEXT FOR THE PANTHERS: Old Westbury continues its conference campaign on Tuesday (January 14) when hit the road to take on the Farmingdale State Rams in Farmingdale, New York. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside Walter A. Lynch Sports Center.
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