Old Westbury won their second-straight Skyline game this afternoon, topping Mt. St. Vincent 54-47 at the Clark Athletic Center. With the win the Panthers improve to 9-5 overall and 3-2 in the Skyline Conference.
Old Westbury pulled out to a 30-22 lead early in the second half on a made three-pointer by Leah Hernandez. Kaitlin Burud answered with a basket for the Dolphins and kicked off a 10-0 run that found Mt. St. Vincent ahead by two with 14:20 remaining. Danna Purnell's jumper ended the run and was followed by two points from Monique Midy, giving Old Westbury a 34-32 lead.
The Panthers took a six-point lead midway through the second half and extended their lead to eight with 2:47 to play on another jumper by Midy. Mt. St. Vincent would close within five as Burud sank two free throws with 35 seconds remaining, but Purnell connected twice from the free throw line in the final seconds of the game, allowing Old Westbury to hold on for the 54-47 win.
The two teams battled back and forth in the first half, with seven lead changes and four ties. Andrea DiNizo gave the Dolphins their largest lead of the half, a six-point edge on three consecutive free throws with 14:36 remaining. The Panthers answered with eight-straight points, capped by a lay-up by Monique Midy that put Old Westbury ahead by two with under 10 minutes to go. Old Westbury continued its push and took its largest lead, a five-point lead on a free throw by Chanel Benjamin with 5:50 on the clock.
Mt. St. Vincent responded once again, tying the game at 17 less than one minute later. After three-straight points by Old Westbury, the Dolphins went ahead by one with just under one minute to play on a three-pointer by Megan Fitzpatrick. Midy and Leah Hernandez responded with five points combined and Mt. St. Vincent's Laura Bucci ended the half with a free throw, making the score 25-22 (Old Westbury) at the break.
Midy finished with a game-high 15 points to lead Old Westbury. Purnell added 11 points, seven assists and four steals, while Rachel Yambaye finished with 15 rebounds. DiNizo and Fitzpatrick led Mt. St. Vincent with 13 and 12, respectively.
Old Westbury will return to action on Tuesday, January 17 at 7:00 pm at York.