PROSPER'S 33 FALL SHORT AS MEN'S HOOPS ARE EDGED BY
CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT, 96-86
DECEMBER 30, 2008
Old
Westbury-Christopher Newport Boxscore
PHOENIX, AZ-The SUNY College at Old Westbury
men's basketball team fell in a close contest to Christopher
Newport University on Tuesday evening, 96-86, at the Cactus Jam
Hoop Classic at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix,
Arizona. The loss brings the Panthers to 3-7 on the season,
while the Captains of Christopher Newport University now stand at
5-5 on the year.
The teams would fight point-for-point during the opening
stanza and combined for six ties to go into the halfway point,
knotted at 43. Christopher Newport held the advantage from
the floor in the half, shooting at a 51.4 percent clip as compared
to 46.3 percent for the Panthers. Old Westbury jumped on top
in the second half, 61-52 with 13:56 remaining. However, the
Captains followed Head Coach John Harvell's orders and ripped a
25-7 run to gain a nine-point cushion, 77-68 with 9:24
remaining. Junior Hakiem George (New York, N.Y.) poured in a
layup with 6:26 remaining to bring the Panthers within three, 77-74
but was unable to keep pace with a 19-12 run by the Captains down
the stretch to close out the game.
Sophomore Lester Prosper (Bellmore, N.Y.) produced a career-high
33 points on 15-of-27 shooting to lead all scorers in the contest
while Hakiem George paced the squad on the glass, picking up a
game-high 13 pull downs. George finished with 21 points,
three steals and three assists while Prosper had seven rebounds,
three blocks and a steal. Senior Garthlette James (White
Plains, N.Y.) followed with a 17 point effort to go with five
rebounds, of which four were picked off the offensive glass.
Junior Bill Reese (Selma, AL) chipped in with 10 points and junior
Shane DeNully (Bronx, N.Y.) distributed six assists and
grabbed four rebounds.
The Captains were led by Theo Baker's 27 points on 5-for-9
shooting from downtown. Baker added five rebounds as Mark
Blasingame registered 16 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field,
12 rebounds and four blocked shots. Davon Burton added a
game-high 12 assists to go along with eight points, five rebounds
and two steals. Thomas Whinnett scored 19 points and grabbed
eight rebounds while Michael Green had 12 points, seven rebounds
and four assists.
The Panthers fired a 46.2 clip from the field and were out shot
by Christopher Newport's mark of 52.1. Christopher Newport
was scorching from beyond the arc, knocking down 14-for-28 as Old
Westbury struggled, converting just 5-for-24. The Captains
also held the advantage on the glass, enjoying a 44-36 margin.
However, Old Westbury committed only eight turnovers while
Christopher Newport produced 13.
The Green and Ivory will pick up their dribble in the New Year
with a Skyline Conference matchup at Farmingdale State on Tuesday,
January 6th at 8:00 p.m. Please visit www.oldwestburypanthers.com for more information on men's
basketball or any of the other Panther athletic teams.
