Box Score l Gameday Preview

OLD WESTBURY, NY (www.OLDWESTBURYPANTHERS.com) – The SUNY College at Old Westbury women's basketball team lead by 19 points at halftime en route to defeating the visiting Staten Island Dolphins 69-59, Thursday evening inside the Clark Athletic Center.  The win improves OW to 4-5 on the season while sending Staten Island's record to 4-5. 

DeAndra Scott put Old Westbury on the board first with a layup at 18:46.  Staten Island tied the game with a layup by Olivia Tierno.  Old Westbury grabbed the lead for good when Deslyn Applewhaite dropped in a layup for her first points of the game to put OW ahead, 6-4.  The Panthers extended its lead to double-digits when Scott banked in a layup at 6:58, giving OW a 20-10 lead.  Old Westbury closed out the opening half with a 19-2 run over the final 9:55 to take a 31-12 lead into the half.

Old Westbury extended its lead to as many as 24 early in the second half to gold a 38-14 advantage with 15:46 remaining on the second-half clock.  Facing a 24-point deficit, Staten Island closed to gap to nine using 17-2 run from 15:26 to 11:25 to trail 40-31.  OW built the lead back up to 16 with 8:25 remaining. Staten Island pulled within five (57-52) after going on a 17-6 scoring spree from 7:40 to 2:34.  Old Westbury had some clutch shooting down the stretch, knocking down all six free-throws and hitting 2-of-3 from the field in the final minute to hold off Staten Island for a non-conference victory. 

Denise Zajonc * poured in a career-high 17 points, draining 4-of-5 from three-point territory to go along with six rebounds to lead OW.  DeAndra Scott followed with her second straight double-double, registering 14 points and 12 boards (7 offensive) in addition to four assists and three blocks.  Deslyn Applewhaite added 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks while Kim Weathers chipped in with 10 points and six boards off the bench.  Antoinette Jolly nabbed a career-high seven steals and Abigail Williams posted eight points and nine rebounds.

Olivia Tierno paced Staten Island with 16 points, 10 rebounds and three steals.  Nikki Fabozzi (12 points), Katelyn Hepworth (11 points) and Victoria Donegan (10 points) scored in double-figures for Staten Island. 

Old Westbury outshot Staten Island the field 39.3 percent (24-61) to 29.2 percent (21-72).  Old Westbury connected on 16-of-22 from the free-throw line while Staten Island knocked down 12-of-17.  OW also enjoyed a 51-34 rebounding advantage, including 16 offensive boards that resulted in 13 second chance points.

LEHMAN LIGHTNING UP NEXT FOR THE PANTHERS: The Panthers return to the hardwood for non-conference action on Wednesday (Dec. 28) when they take on the Lehman Lightning in New Rochelle, New York.  Game time is set to tip at 6 p.m. on the campus of Monroe College. 

For the latest news on the Panthers, log on to www.oldwestburypanthers.com – the official site for Old Westbury athletics. Also, become a follower of the Panthers on Twitter (OW_Panthers) and Facebook (Old Westbury Panthers Athletics).