Panthers Hook Dolphins, 81 - 72
January 27, 2007
OLD WESTBURY, N.Y.-SUNY College at Old Westbury men's basketball team defeated Mount Saint Vincent 87-72 in a Skyline Conference match-up. The Panthers improve to 5 - 0 at home and are 11-6 overall and 7-2 in Skyline play.
In the opening minutes, the Panthers had to overcome a 4-point deficit and two quick personal fouls by Garthlette James. The Panthers however regained composure, tying the game at 8, with 16:19 to go in the first-half. Ian Johnson lifted the Panthers to a 35-28 lead heading into half-time by contributing 11 points. Anthony Stowe added 15 points at the break.
The second half continued to feature great contributions from several Panthers. Kenneth Eusey continued his hot shooting, knocking down 4-of-9 from three-point range. With 6:41 remaining in the game, Ian Johnson connected on 2 of his 4 three-pointers to give the Panthers a 64-51 lead. The Panthers looked to have the game in hand before a quick 7- 0 Dolphin run cut the lead to 70 - 61 with 3:27 left.
The Panthers were able to hold off the Dolphins mini surge down the stretch. Ian Johnson's three-point play off of a steal stretched the lead out of reach at 79-68 with only 1:26 remaining. The Panthers sealed the game by hitting their free throws, capped off by a Garthlette James steal with 40 seconds to go, gave the Panthers the 87-72 victory.
Ian Johnson led the team with a game high 27 points, including 9-11 from the field and 4-6 from three-point range with 3 assists and 4 rebounds. Anthony Stowe provided 20 points on 7-14 shooting from the field while grabbing 7 rebounds and nabbing 3 steals in 30 minutes. Divine Jackson added 11 points on 4-7 shooting and pulled down a team-high 9 rebounds to go along with 6 assists. Kenneth Eusey finished with 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc to go along with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
Mount Saint Vincent was led by Kevin Garlan's 19 points, 6 assists and 6 rebound performance. Derek Charlton was 8 - 21 from the field and scored 17 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out 5 assists. Lester Owen scored 16 points and was 6 - 8 from the field to go along with 5 assists. The Dolphins fall to 1-17 overall and 0-10 in Skyline play.
The Panthers will host SUNY Maritime on Tuesday. Tip-off is slated for at 7:30 pm. For more information about the Old Westbury Panthers, log onto http://www.oldwestburypanthers.com/, to follow your favorite sports and events.