MEN'S BASKETBALL EDGED BY NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR NYIT IN EXHIBITION PLAY, 74-71
NOVEMBER 5, 2008
OLD WESTBURY, N.Y.-The SUNY College at Old Westbury men's basketball team hit the hardwood for the first time this season on Wednesday night when the Panthers hosted nearby neighbor, Division II opponent, NYIT in an exhibition game at the Clark Athletic Center. Old Westbury had only three returning players at its disposal in its exhibition contest versus NYIT and were unable to pull off the upset, falling to the Bears, 74-71.
Sophomore Lester Prosper (Bellmore, N.Y.) led the Panthers with a double-double, combining 17 rebounds and 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the floor. Off the bench Prosper and junior Bill Reese (Selma, AL) played huge for the Panthers. Prosper added three blocks while Reese had two steals and poured in a team-high 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Junior Shane DeNully (Bronx, N.Y.) added 13 points (5-of-8 FG) in addition to five assists. Junior Kristopher Afum (Bronx, N.Y.) knocked down 2-of-4 from downtown to total eight points to go along with four rebounds. Junior Hakiem George (New York, N.Y.) chipped in with nine points and six rebounds.
Senior Mickell Vickers (Babylon, N.Y.) led NYIT with a game-high 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Vickers pulled down 15 boards and shot 11-of-17 free-throws as senior Bryant Lassister (Bayshore, N.Y.) added 17 points on 11-of-13 from the charity stripe. Lassister dished out four assists and was pressured into five turnovers. Junior Benny Flores (Stockton, CA) contributed 11 points on 3-of-4 from three-point territory with nine rebounds.
Old Westbury outshot NYIT, 27-of-75 (36%) to 18-of-58 (31%) from the field and held the advantage in long distance shooting, nailing 9-of-37 (24.3%) of three-pointers compared to 6-of-25 (24%) by the Bears. The Panthers connected on 8-of-12 (66.7%) from the free-throw line while NYIT converted 32-of-45 (71.1%). NYIT edged Old Westbury in the rebound department, 43-41.
Old Westbury, competed in its lone exhibition game of the preseason, played without the services of senior Garthlette James (White Plains, N.Y.), sophomore Brandon Mays (Roslyn, N.Y.) and senior Lateef Ladson (Bronx, N.Y.) The Green and Ivory will pick up their dribble next on November 17th for the Alumni Game at the Clark Athletic Center. Tip-off is slated for 8:00 p.m. Please visit www.oldwestburypanthers.com for more information on men's basketball or any of the other Panther athletic teams.