Box Score Box Score l Gameday Preview

PATCHOGUE, NY (www.OLDWESTBURYPANTHERS.com) – The SUNY College at Old Westbury men's basketball team lost a Skyline Conference road battle to the St. Joseph's-L.I. Golden Eagles on Thursday evening at the Danzi Center.  The loss moves OW to 8-7 on the season and 5-3 in conference action while St. Joseph's-L.I. improved to 13-2 and 9-0, respectively. 

Tavon McNair dunked on home games first point to give Old Westbury an early advantage.  St. Joseph's-L.I. responded with a 7-0 run to take a 7-2 lead before Old Westbury countered with a 13-3 spurt to go ahead 15-1 with 14:27 left on the clock.  St. Joseph's-L.I. briefly held an 18-17 lead, until OW grabbed the advantage for the remaining 12:30 of the half.  Everard Bisnauth connected on a three-pointer to give OW a 44-34 lead with 3:24 left.  St. Joseph's-L.I. closed out the half with a 10-2 run as they trailed 46-44 at the half.

Both teams battled over the final 20 minutes, combining five lead changes in a tight game.  Old Westbury took a 69-65 lead off Tavon McNair's jumper with 11:03 remaining.  St. Joseph's-L.I. responded with a 16-6 run from 9:51 to 4:05 to grab an 84-75 lead.  Old Westbury pulled within three over the final moments but were unable to overtake the top seeded Golden Eagles. 

Tavon McNair had another big outing for Old Westbury, finishing with 30 points (14-20 FG) and 14 rebounds (game-high) to record his fifth double-double of the season.  Everard Bisnauth reached double figures for the fourth straight game off the bench with 16 points.  Rashawn McCarthy followed with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting while Kerel Mitchell followed with 14 points, eight rebounds (season-high) and five assists (season-high).  Omari Trebuse snagged four steals and is now averaging 5.0 steals over his last two games. 

Olivier Laurent's 19 point led four other double digit Golden Eagle scorers in the victory.  Trey Black (18 points) dished out seven assists while Laurent and Chris Jimenez (17 points) each nabbed four steals

Old Westbury outshot St. Joseph's-L.I. from the field 53 percent (35-66) to 47.1 percent (33-70).  Old Westbury connected on 9-of-23 from three-point land while St. Joseph's-L.I. landed 17-of-41.  OW enjoyed a 41-29 rebounding advantage, turning 12 offensive boards into 16 second chance points.  St. Joseph's-L.I. converted 16 Panther turnovers into 20 points.

SAGE GATORS UP NEXT FOR THE PANTHERS: The Panthers return to the hardwood for Skyline Conference action on Saturday (Jan. 21) when they travel to take on the Sage Gators in Troy, New York.  Game time is set to tip at 3 p.m. inside the Neff Center. 

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).