ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, NY (www.oldwestburypanthers.com) – Seniors Bill Reese (Selma, AL) and Hakiem George (New York, NY) led the SUNY College at Old Westbury men's basketball team as the Panthers rolled to a 76-61 victory over Bard College on the road at Stevenson Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers now have an overall record of 3-2 and a 2-1 conference mark while Bard falls to 0-6 and 0-4, respectively. 

Old Westbury jumped up 15-8 as senior Patrick Bonna (Brooklyn, NY) received a pass from classmate Hakiem George (New York, NY) for a layup, causing Bard to call time out. Bard responded with 7-0 run capped off by a layup by sophomore Forrest Alvarez-Ringer (New York, NY) to bring the Raptors within one, 15-14 at the 10:41 mark. Old Westbury recovered with a three-ball from senior Bill Reese (Selma, AL) that sparked a 9-2 run, grabbing a 24-16 lead with 4:21 remaining in the opening half.
Bard needed to cut into the gap a little as they made a tiny cut and Old Westbury went into the break up 29-22. Both teams were shooting blanks in the first half as Old Westbury was firing 33.3 percent from the floor and 13.3 percent from behind the arc. Bard was gunning at a 32 percent clip and 15.4 from three-point territory. 

The Panthers' seven-point halftime lead was stretched to 38-30 on a Bonna trey. Bard responded with an 18-11 run to pull within one, 49-48, with 8:13 left off a three-ball by Adam Shear. Hakiem George's eight points in a 10-0 Old Westbury run gave the Panthers an 11-point cushion, up 59-48 with 5:54 remaining in regulation. Freshman Hilton Sneed (Spring Valley, NY) hit a nailed a jumper that capped off a 19-4 Panther run that buried Bard in a 68-52, giving Old Westbury their largest lead of the game. The Raptors never recovered and Old Westbury notched their third win of the season after a convincing 76-61 conference win over Bard. 

Bill Reese had 21 points, four assists and two steals to lead Old Westbury. Hakiem George followed with 19 points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal. Patrick Bonna had 16 points and junior Jason Kondra (East Syracuse, NY) scored 12 as Old Westbury's bench outscored Bard's, 28-13. Bonna went 4-of-7 from the floor and hit 7-of-8 from the line in addition to a pair of blocked shots while Kondra had two steals. Senior Shane DeNully (Bronx, NY) chipped in with six points (2-of-4 FG), six assists and three steals. In the paint, Hilton Sneed grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots while senior Kuwam Are (Brooklyn, NY) tallied seven rebounds and one blocked shot in 13 minutes of action. 

Senior Justin White (New York, NY) paced Bard with 21 points, six rebounds, six assists and one steal. Forrest Alvarez ended with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field to go with six rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists. Junior Christian Marghella (Closter, NJ) had eight points and six rebounds off the bench. 

The Panthers shot 33.3 percent from the field in the first half and 53.3 percent in the second half to finish at 42.4 percent. Old Westbury won the board battle, 42-34, including a 14-6 advantage off the offensive backboards. Old Westbury had nine steals to two steals for Bard. 

MOUNT SAINT VINCENT NEXT FOR THE PANTHERS: Old Westbury will remain on the road and take on the Mount Saint Vincent Dolphins on Wednesday evening in their final Skyline Conference battle of the 2009 calendar year in Bronxville, New York. Panthers and Dolphins tangle at 7 p.m. at the Hayes Gymnasium. Please visit www.oldwestburypanthers.com for more information on men's basketball or any of the other Panther athletic teams.