The Old Westbury Panthers fell 53-45 to Skyline foe Mt. St. Mary this afternoon. With the loss, the Panthers fall to 7-5 overall and 1-2 in the league, while the Blue Knights improve to 8-2 and hold the number one spot in the conference with a 2-0 record.
Mt. St. Mary's held a six-point lead with 16:47 remaining in the second half. LaSheena Brown's basket on the next play kicked off a 12-0 run over the next eight minutes that left the Blue Knights with an 18-point lead, their largest of the game.
With 3:34 to go, Mount St. Mary remained up by 18, but the Panthers forged a late comeback attempt, scoring 10-straight points. The come-from-behind surge proved to come to late, as time ran out with the Blue Knights ahead by eight.
In the first half, Mount St. Mary pulled out to a 13-point lead halfway through the period. The Panthers cut the lead to four with a 9-0 run, capped by a jumper from Monique Midy, but the Blue Knights bounced back and took an eight-point lead into the break.
Danna Purnell led Old Westbury with 13 points, while Janera Johnson added 11. Vanessa Lawson led all scorers with 14 for the Blue Knights.
The Panther return home on Tuesday, January 10 to host the Merchant Marine Academy at 7:00 pm.