OLD WESTBURY, NY (www.oldwestburypanthers.com) – The SUNY College at Old Westbury women's basketball team held off a late rally by outscoring the NYU-Poly Fighting Blue Jays 46-43 in the second half en route to a 72-66 Skyline Conference victory Tuesday evening at the Clark Athletic Center. The win moves Old Westbury to 9-7 overall and 4-5 in league play while NYU-Poly slips to 7-7 and 4-5, respectively. 

Old Westbury started off sluggish, missing their first five attempts from the field before freshman Daniella Santos (Inwood, NY) hit a jumper at the 15:28 mark to put Old Westbury on the board. Old Westbury used a 22-8 spurt to grab a 24-15 lead with 2:45 left in the half. NYU-Poly would close the first half on an 8-2 run, however, cutting Old Westbury's lead at the break to three at 26-23. 

Old Westbury quickly built a double-digit lead at 34-23 with 17:45 to play in the second half after freshman Krystina Agard (Queens, NY) sank a layup. Senior Carlie Moore (Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY) extended their largest lead of the game to 14 on a three-pointer with 16:20 remaining. NYU-Poly responded with an 18-4 run to knot the game at 41 all with 11:59 remaining. Both teams went back and forth in the scoring column. Old Westbury sank 5-of-6 from the line in the final 45 seconds to pull away with a 72-66 victory. 

Krystina Agard scored 26 points and dished out 10 assists in addition to five rebounds, four blocked shots and two steals in 40 minutes of action. Carlie Moore added 18 and freshman Katelin Kube (West Babylon, NY) had nine points. Freshman Abigail Williams (Brooklyn, NY) pulled down 13 boards to go along with eight points and three steals and junior Shannon Gilly (Staten Island, NY) chipped in with seven rebounds. 

NYU-Poly got 23 points, 13 rebounds and three steals from sophomore Margaux Pickell (Howell, NJ) and 10 points, six assists and two steals from freshman Shelby Bruns (Elko, NV). Sophomore Kristen Leitheuser (Millbrook, NY) registered a solid effort, totaling seven points, eight rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot. Freshman Noelle McKoy (Garrison, NY) scored nine points and nabbed three steals off the bench. 

The Panthers did an excellent job getting to the foul line, where they made 21-of-30 (70%). Old Westbury outshot the Fighting Blue Jays 41.8%-37.3% in addition to firing the long ball at 38.5 percent to NYU-Poly's 14.3 percent. Old Westbury won the boards battle, edging NYU-Poly, 35-32. Old Westbury turned 21 NYU-Poly miscues into 17 points while the Fighting Blue Jays scored 15 points off 26 Panther turnovers. NYU-Poly held a 12-7 advantage in steals and a 14-12 margin in assists. 

BARD UP NEXT FOR THE PANTHERS: Old Westbury returns to the hardwood for a Skyline Conference contest with the Bard Raptors on Saturday afternoon in Old Westbury, New York. Panthers and Raptors tip at 2 p.m. at the Clark Athletic Center. Please visit www.oldwestburypanthers.com for more information on women's basketball or any of the other Panther athletic teams.