Boxscore
OLD WESTBURY, NY (www.oldwestburypanthers.com) – The SUNY College at Old Westbury women's basketball team battled the St. Joseph's-L.I. Golden Eagles on Tuesday evening but were unable to notch the win as the Panthers were edged, 86-84, at the Clark Athletic Center. The fourth consecutive loss moves Old Westbury to 11-10 on the season and 6-8 in conference play while St. Joseph's-L.I. improved to 12-10 and 9-6, respectively.
St. Joseph's-L.I. opened the game with a 20-8 lead with 14:01 left of the first half clock. Moments later, the Golden Eagles still led by 12, 25-13, with 11:42 remaining. Krystina Agard responded by scoring seven of her 16 first half points as Old Westbury ended the half outscoring St. Joseph's-L.I. 23-10 to hold their lead of 38-35 at the break.
The second half featured 14 lead changes and 11 ties. After St. Joseph's-L.I. scored the first three points, Brittany Jones knocked down a jumper at the 18:27 mark tie the game at 40. St. Joseph's-L.I. then built the lead back to five, 71-66, at the 5:57 mark, after Trish McMahon scored two of St. Joseph's-L.I.'s 26 second half points in the paint. Old Westbury rallied back to take a one point lead, 82-81, with 1:49 remaining off a layup by Avery Josey. Trish McMahon and Kait Hallahan were successful in back-to-back trips to the line, helping the Golden Eagles grab an 85-82 lead with 18 seconds left. With eight seconds to go, Brittany Jones pumped the ball into the paint, where Avery Josey scored the layup to bring the Panthers within one, 85-84. Krystina Agard fouled and sent Corissa Stack to the line, where she hit one of two from the charity stripe. Old Westbury had a chance for the win, but Brittany Jones' game-winning runner was off the mark as St. Joseph's-L.I. came away with the victory.
Krystina Agard scored a game-high 29 points to lead Old Westbury, including 9-of-18 from the field, 5-of-8 from three-point range and made all six of her free throw attempts. Agard finished with six rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots and two steals in 40 minutes of action. Avery Josey came off the bench to score a career-high 27 points, connecting on 11-of-16 from the floor in addition to grabbing 10 rebounds. Brittany Jones followed with her third consecutive double-double (ninth of season), combining 14 points and 13 boards to go with four steals, four assists and one swat. Carlie Moore chipped in with eight points and four rebounds.
Carissa Pirotta led St. Joseph's-L.I. with 24 points, hitting 6-of-10 from three-point territory. Trish McMahon used 18 points and 12 rebounds to post her double-double. She added five assists, two blocked shots and two steals to her stat line in 34 minutes of court time. Kait Hallahan and Amanda Bender contributed with 10 points each.
Old Westbury shot 43.8 percent from the floor in the game, including 8-of-21 from three-point range. St. Joseph's-L.I. shot 42.6 percent from the floor, including 53.3 percent in the second half. The Panthers edged out St. Joseph's-L.I., 42-33, on the boards, grabbing 15 offensive rebounds and turned them into just nine second chance points.
FARMINGDALE STATE NEXT FOR THE PANTHERS: Old Westbury will return to the road for Thursday's Skyline Conference battle with the Farmingdale State Rams at the Walter A. Lynch Sports Center. Panthers and Rams tip at 6 p.m. in Farmingdale, New York. Old Westbury needs your Panther Pride on the road at Thursday's WBCA Pink Zone game. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to support Breast Cancer Awareness. In an effort to raise money for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund, a $2 donation will be required at the door. Please visit www.oldwestburypanthers.com for more information on women's basketball or any of the other Panther athletic teams.
