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BROOKLYN, NY (www.OLDWESTBURYPANTHERS.com) –  Fifth seeded SUNY College at Old Westbury women's basketball team saw its season and second straight trip to the EVAC Metro Region Championship Tournament end abruptly Wednesday, as the Panthers fell 52-51 in the quarterfinal round.  Old Westbury finished 18-9 on the year while the Bulldogs (22-7) advance to the semifinal round Friday against top-seeded Rutgers-Newark from The Golden Dome at 6 p.m. in Newark, New Jersey.

Brooklyn jumped out to a 14-2 lead halfway through the first half before as Old Westbury opened the game shooting 1-for-18.  Old Westbury knock down their next three shots to cut the deficit to six points in the opening half while Brooklyn worked the lead back up to double digits, taking a 28-18 led at halftime. 

Brooklyn led by as much as 13 early in the second half, but the Panthers battled back to take a 51-45 lead off a three-pointer by Clarissa Gallagher triple with 3:07 remaining.  Down the stretch, Melissa St. Louis hit one of two from the line and Charnelle St. Laurent connected on a three-ball with 1:51 showing and hit the game winning trey with four seconds left to lift Brooklyn past Old Westbury, 52-51.    

Deslyn Applewhaite led OW with 18 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four blocks to go along with three steals.  Kim Weathers followed with 14 points and seven rebounds.  Anotinette Jolly nabbed five steals and Denise Zajonc * swept away two.    

Brooklyn's Lauren Plagainos led all scorers with 23 points Melissa St. Louis pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds.
For the game, OW outshot Brooklyn 32.3% (21-65) to 27.8% (20-72) from the field while the Bulldogs hit 28.6% to 21.1% from three-pointer range.  Old Westbury landed 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, compared to 4-of-6 for Brooklyn.  Both teams combined for 43 turnovers, as Brooklyn converted 21 Panther turnovers into 13 points.  Brooklyn won the battle of the boards, 52-45, turning 20 offensive rebounds into just seven points.

Senior Denise Zajonc * finished her two year career at Old Westbury, while classmate Abigail Williams is expected to return for her fourth season.  Over the past two seasons, the Panthers went 38-17 with two straight post-season appearances.   

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).