Old Westbury - 64, Farmingdale State - 57

Old Westbury, N.Y. - The Farmingdale State women's basketball team lost their first Skyline Conference game of the season after falling, 64-57, at Old Westbury on Wednesday night. The Rams dropped to 8-7 overall and 7-1 in the Skyline, while the Panthers improved to 12-6, 7-2 in conference action.

Tied 15-15 late in the first half, five straight points for the Panthers opened up a 20-15 lead with 4:21 to play. After trailing by seven, a pair of Farmingdale State free-throws by junior guard Jeanette Zubizarreta (Bay Shore, N.Y.) cut the deficit to five, before a 3-pointer by Denise Zajonc (Staten Island, N.Y.) and two free-throws from DeAndra Scott (St. Albans, N.Y.) gave Old Westbury a 30-20 halftime advantage.

The Panthers extended their lead to 38-25 with 15:34 remaining, before an 8-0 Rams run highlighted by two Zubizarreta 3-pointers cut the deficit to 38-33. Old Westbury answered with five straight points to bring the lead back to double digits with less than 12 minutes to play.

Trailing 51-37 with 7:30 on the clock, Farmingdale State responded with a 13-2 run over the next 3:22 to pull within three, 53-50. After two free-throws from Old Westbury's Kim Weathers (Wyandanch, N.Y.), junior guard Baytania Newman (Brooklyn, N.Y.) hit a jumper for the Rams and Zubizarreta converted both free-throws on Farmingdale's next possession to cut the deficit to 55-54 with 1:26 remaining. Junior Antoinette Jolly (Inwood, N.Y.) brought the Panthers lead back to three after converting a layup with 1:06 left on the clock. Farmingdale State would close within two but Old Westbury was 4-for-4 from the free-throw line over the final 11 seconds to cap off the 64-57 victory. 

Zubizarreta led the Rams with 19 points, including hitting five 3-pointers. Newman added 18 points and seven boards, while senior forward Natasha Smalls (Harlem, N.Y.) had eight points and 12 rebounds.

The Panthers were led by Weathers and sophomore guard Deslyn Applewhaite (Brooklyn, N.Y.) who each netted a team-high 11 points.

Farmingdale State next will host Mount Saint Mary in a Skyline Conference game on Saturday, January 28th at 1:00 p.m.

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