NEW YORK, NY (www.OLDWESTBURYPANTHERS.com) –The SUNY College at Old Westbury women's basketball team concluded play at the Hunter Tip-Off Tournament with an impressive 73-52 victory over the Hunter Hawks in the consolation game Saturday afternoon from the Hunter Sportsplex.  Old Westbury opened the season on Friday with a 66-52 setback to Stevens.  Old Westbury heads into a non-conference battle at Brooklyn on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. with a record of 1-1. 

In the opener against Stevens, Old Westbury fell behind in the first-half and was unable to recover as Stevens held a 43-26 half-time lead.  Following DeAndra Scott's layup knot the game at 11-all, Stevens took the lead for good with a layup by Maggie Kowalska with 13:42 remaining on the first-half clock.  Stevens built a 19-point first-half lead with an 11-0 run from 4:41 to 1:55.

Old Westbury chipped away at the deficit throughout the second-half, pulling within 11 points with 7:16 remaining.  Stevens responded with a 9-0 run from 7:10 to 4:16 to stretch the lead to 64-44, their largest lead of the game.

DeAndra Scott led the Panthers in scoring with 12 points (4-12 FG) to go with four rebounds and two steals.  Clarissa Gallagher and Antoinette Jolly both followed with eight points and Olivia Ilardi came off the bench to score six.  Abigail Williams chipped in with Old Westbury's lone block and a game-high four steals while Jolly nabbed three. 

Avis Benjamin posted game-highs of 15 points and 15 rebounds, including nine boards off the offensive glass to lead Stevens.  Dylan Krause (13 points, 5 assist, 3 steals), Miranda Ripken (12 points, 4 assists, 2 steals) and Maggie Kowalska (10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals) all scored in double-digits for the Ducks. 

Stevens outshot Old Westbury from the field 37.7 percent (26-69) to 30.5 percent (18-59) and from behind the arc 35 percent (7-20) to 20 percent (3-15) while Old Westbury hit 68.4 percent from the charity stripe, compared to Stevens' 58.3 percent (7-12).  Old Westbury converted 22 Stevens' turnovers into 19 points.  Stevens won the battle of the boards, 53-37, tallying 13 second chance points off 21 offensive rebounds.

In the consolation game, Hunter's Erika DeJesus broke the scoring ice with a jumper to make it a 2-0 contest.  Old Westbury answered with DeAndra Scott's layup and a jumper by Abigail Williams to put Old Westbury up for good with a 4-2 lead at the 18:29 mark in the first-half.  Old Westbury closed out the first-half on a 12-3 run over the final 4:24 to hold a 37-25 half-time lead.  

Old Westbury again outscored Hunter with a 36-27 scoring edge in the second-half.  With 2:53 remaining, Clarissa Gallagher connected on a triple to give Old Westbury a 22-point lead, 69-47.

DeAndra Scott paced Old Westbury with 19 points and 11 rebounds to register her ninth career double-double.  She added five assists, two blocks and a pair of steals.  Raven Pentz (13 points, 2 steals) and Clarissa Gallagher (10 points, 6 rebounds) contributed double-digit scoring performances.  Abigail Williams sparked Old Westbury with eight points, four steals and one block. Raven Price and Nikki Alexander both came off the bench to block a pair of shots.  Price chipped in with eight points and 11 rebounds while Alexander scored nine points.

Carolyn Kweon led Hunter with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Kristen Sells followed with 15 points and three steals.  Dimitra Thomopuolos added eight rebounds and two steals. 

Old Westbury connected on 41.1 percent (30-73) from the field, 22.2 percent (4-18) from three-point territory and 75 percent (9-12) from the free-throw line.  Hunter sank 25.4 percent (15-59) from the floor, 30.8 percent (4-13) from downtown and 56.3 percent (18-32) from the charity stripe.  Old Westbury held a 54-41 rebounding advantage, including 22-18 edge off the offensive glass, resulting in 24 second chance points.  Old Westbury also outscored Hunter in the paint, 38-16, while turning 21 Hawk miscues into 18 points. 

BROOKLYN BULLDOGS UP NEXT FOR PANTHERS: Old Westbury returns to the hardwood for a non-conference showdown on Tuesday evening, taking on the Brooklyn Bulldogs in Brooklyn, New York.  Tip-off is slated for 6:30 p.m. from the West Quad 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 "LIKE" Us on Facebook (Old Westbury Panthers Athletics / Old Westbury Athletics Alumni).