Jan 29, 2014
PATCHOGUE, NY (www.OLDWESTBURYPANTHERS.com) - The SUNY College at Old Westbury men's basketball team dominated in the final 20 minutes on Wednesday night to capture a 70-53 Skyline Conference road victory over the St. Joseph's (L.I.) Golden Eagles. The Panthers improved to 11-6 overall and 7-3 in conference play while sending the Golden Eagles to 4-13 on the season and 3-7 in conference action.
Old Westbury hit the ground running in the first half, opening with a 21-8 run en route to building a 21-11 lead with 8:56 remaining. St Joseph's (L.I.) replied with a 19-10 run to close out the opening half down 31-30.
The Panthers saw their once substantial lead slip away early in the second half as the Golden Eagles went up 34-31 just 47 seconds into play. Trailing 36-35 with 16:23 showing on the second half clock, Omari Trebuse dialed in from long distance to put Old Westbury up for good, 38-36. Trebuse's three-pointer sparked a 27-10 Panther run to give Old Westbury a 62-46 advantage. Old Westbury stretched the lead to as many as 19 points (70-51) with 2:03 remaining as their pesky defense kept the Golden Eagles at bay as the Panthers prevailed, 70-53.
Floyd LeRoy led the way for the Panthers with a game-high 20 points (9-9 FG) to go along with five blocks, four assists and two steals while Mark Gjonlekaj poured in 18 points in addition totaling seven boards, four blocks and three steals. Ray Parker chipped in with 15 points. Trebuse dished out a game-high seven assists as Stephon Odle pulled down a career-high eight rebounds to lead the Panthers.
Darryl Charles proved to be a lone bright spot for the Golden Eagles, scoring 17 points to go along with a game-high 10 rebounds.
Old Westbury finished the night shooting 52.7 percent from the field (29-55), 33.3 percent from three-point territory (8-24) and 40 percent from the free-throw line (4-10) as the Golden Eagles hit just 28.3 percent from the floor (17-60), 21.4 percent from beyond the arc (6-28) and 68.4 percent from the charity stripe (13-19). Old Westbury won the boards battle, 41-34, scoring 10 second chance points off nine offensive rebounds. Old Westbury tied a season-high with 21 assists while the Golden Eagles converted 19 Panther miscues into 21 points. The Golden Eagles' bench also enjoyed a 23-4 scoring advantage.
MOUNT SAINT VINCENT DOLPHINS UP NEXT FOR THE PANTHERS: Old Westbury continues its conference campaign on Wednesday (February 1) when they travel to Riverdale, New York to take on the Mount Saint Vincent Dolphins. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. inside Peter Jay Sharp Center.
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