Box Score PURCHASE, NY (
www.oldwestburypanthers.com) – The SUNY College at Old Westbury men's basketball team needed double-overtime to take care of business on the road, handing the Purchase Panthers a 95-91 Skyline Conference defeat Saturday afternoon in Purchase, New York. The win was Old Westbury's fifth straight and improved its record to 15-5 on the season and 13-2 against the Skyline Conference while Purchase dipped to 14-7 and 11-5, respectively.
Both teams battled back and forth throughout the entire game, featuring 18 ties and 25 lead changes. Old Westbury grabbed a four point lead (33-29) in the closing moments of the first half off a layup by senior
Bill Reese (Selma, AL) with 3:59 remaining. Purchase closed out the opening half with an 8-3 run to take a 37-36 lead into the half.
With Old Westbury down 69-68 with 3:20 remaining in regulation, senior
Kristopher Afum (Bronx, NY) connected on a three-pointer to grab a 71-69 lead. Junior Cory Orgias (Highland Mills, NY) responded with a pair of free throws to knot the game at 71 all with 2:46 left. Freshman Jeff Barrett (Brooklyn, NY), senior
Hakiem George (New York, NY), freshman
Hilton Sneed (Spring Valley, NY) and
Kristopher Afum each scored two points in putting together an 8-0 to give Old Westbury their largest lead of the game, 79-71, with just 30 ticks left on the clock. Purchase countered with a pair of three-pointers by junior Michael McNair (Valley Cottage, NY) and a successful trip to the line by junior Justin Walters (Walters, NY) to tie the game at 79 with 12 seconds left.
Hakiem George was fouled by junior Marvin Billups (Chester, NY) with four seconds and missed the potential game winning free throw, sending the game to its first overtime tied at 79.
The first overtime period saw Old Westbury's
Kristopher Afum score five of his team-high 19 points. With a one point lead in hand, up 88-87,
Hakiem George gave Old Westbury a two point lead, before missing the second free throw with 13 seconds to go and was rebounded by Cory Orgias who sent the ball up court as Justin Walters sank a layup with five seconds remaining and sent the game into its second overtime.
The Panthers connected on 2-of-5 from the field en route to out-scoring Purchase, 6-2 in the final stanza. Old Westbury's pressure defense and aggressive offense held Purchase to 3-of-14 shooting (21.4%) from the field and allowed them six trips to the free throw line in overtime.
Kristopher Afum, who hit 4-of-6 from the line in the extra periods, gave Old Westbury a 92-91 advantage after sinking the front end of free throws with 2:54 left, giving the visitors the lead for good.
Afum, who finished with 19 points and four steals (game-high) to pace Old Westbury, was one of five to score in double digits.
Hakiem George hit 4-of-9 from the floor and 8-of-11 from the line to score 17 points. Junior Frantz Granjean (Brooklyn, NY) followed with 12 points, while adding 11 rebounds, two steals and one swat. Junior
Lester Prosper (Bellmore, NY) contributed 11 points and five rebounds before fouling out. Freshman Jeff Barrett (Brooklyn, NY) came off the bench to score a career-high 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting, including 2-of-2 from long distance to go with two steals in 16 minutes of action.
Purchase had four players finish in double digits, led by Marvin Billups and Corey Orgias. Billups poured in a game-best 24 points in a losing effort, adding 11 boards (seven offensive) and six turnovers. Orgias finished with 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds. Michael McNair added 16 points and three steals while Justin Walters pitched in with 14 points, four assists and two steals.
Old Westbury shot 45.7 percent (43-of-70) from the floor, including 50 percent (9-of-18) from three-point range. The visiting Panthers also dished out 10 assists, blocked three shots and collected 13 steals. Purchase connected on 44.8 percent (30-of-67) from the field, including 31.3 percent (5-of-16) from three-point territory. Old Westbury's defense forced 18 turnovers, leading to 27 points. Purchase held the 51-33 advantage in boards, including 18-13 off the offensive glass. Those 18 offensive rebounds for Purchase were turned into 23 second chance points.
ST. JOSEPH'S-L.I. NEXT FOR THE PANTHERS: Old Westbury will remain on the road for Tuesday's Skyline Conference battle with the St. Joseph's-L.I. Golden Eagles at the Danzi Center. Panthers and Golden Eagles tip at 7 p.m. in Patchogue, New York. Please visit www.oldwestburypanthers.com for more information on men's basketball or any of the other Panther athletic teams.
