The Old Westbury women's basketball team topped Kings Point 55-39 this evening in Skyline Conference Tournament's quarterfinal round. Old Westbury moves on to the semifinals, where the Panthers will face No. 1 Mt. St. Mary in Newburgh on Thursday.
The Panthers' 17-3 run that opened the second half, left Old Westbury with an 18-point lead, their largest of the game, with 7:56 on the clock. Kings Point closed the gap to 12 on a three-pointer by Ashley Carlisle with 3:49 remaining, but would not get any closer.
Monique Midy, who finished the game with 14 points and nine rebounds, sparked the Panthers offense, contributing nine points during Old Westbury's run.
The two teams played a tight first half, with Old Westbury taking its largest lead of the half, a five-point lead on a three-pointer by Leah Hernandez with 10:57 remaining. After Kings Point closed to within one with 1:57 to go, Hernandez hit another three, giving the Panthers a 20-16 lead at the break. The Mariners struggled offensively in the half, connecting only 15.4% of their attempts from the field.
Hernandez finished with 14 points, shooting 4-of-9 from the field, 3-of-6 from long distance and an impressive 8-of-8 from the free throw line to lead Old Westbury. Jennifer Hoyt added an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double in the win. Andrea Carey led all scorers with 15 points for Kings Point.
Mount Saint Mary defeated Centenary College 87-26 in their Skyline Quarterfinal game this evening in Newburgh. The winner of the Old Westbury/Mt. St. Mary game will advance to the championship game on Saturday. The Blue Knights topped Old Westbury 53-45 on January 7 in regular season play.