The Old Westbury men's basketball team concluded the regular season this afternoon with a 76-54 win over Briarcliffe in non-conference action. The Panthers, who will enter next week's Skyline Playoffs as the No. 7 seed, improve to 14-11 overall and will face the No. 2 seeded Manhattanville Valiants on Tuesday.
Briarcliffe chipped away at what had once been a 26-point Old Westbury lead and closed to within 15 when David Pankey sank a three-pointer with 7:21 to play. Ramel Phillips hit two free throws for Old Westbury on the next play, ending the threat, and three minutes later Jared Weir's three kicked off seven-straight Panther points that put the game out of reach as Old Westbury went up 75-50 with 3:28 on the clock.
In the first half, Old Westbury used a 13-0 run midway through the period to build a comfortable 38-18 lead with 4:14 remaining. Garthlette James' three-pointer at 8:51 kicked off the run, which also included a three-pointer by Ramel Phillips.
Old Westbury outrebounded Briarcliffe 23-16 in the first and forced 13 Briarcliffe turnovers, for 14 points.
Several players chipped into the Old Westbury offense, as the Panthers' bench outscored Briarcliffe 39-5. Russell Brereton led the team with 12 points, while Michael Garrett and James chipped in 10 each off the bench. James added a career-high four blocked shots. Chris Wells led Briarcliffe with a game-high 16 points. David Pankey added 13 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
The Panthers will face Manhattanville in the Skyline Conference Quarterfinals on Tuesday, February 21.