Gameday Program l Skyline Conference Championship Tournament Bracket
OLD WESTBURY, NY (
www.OLDWESTBURYPANTHERS.com) -The SUNY Old Westbury men's basketball captured an 82-70 wire-to-wire victory in the first-round of the Skyline Conference Championship Tournament against the fifth-seeded Yeshiva Maccabees on Tuesday evening from Clark Athletic Center. With the win, No. 4 Old Westbury (13-13) advances to take on the top-seeded Sage Gators in Thursday's semifinal round at 7 p.m. in Albany, New York.
Floyd Leroy and
Reynaldo Walters each scored 19 points to pace the Panthers to victory. Leroy contributed 10 rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot while Walters nabbed two steals.
Omari Trebuse added 10 points and a game-high five assists as
Mark Gjonlekaj went for 10 points and two blocked shots.
Luckens Victor ripped down eight boards and
Jaquan Potter sparked the Panthers off the bench with nine points (3-5 FG) and two steals.
Shelby Rosenberg posted game-high of 29 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks for Yeshiva. Benjy Ritholtz followed with 14 points and Shaje Weiss added 10.
Leroy scored five of Old Westbury's seven points as part of a 7-0 Panther run for an early 14-6 lead. Yeshiva answered with eight of the next 10 points to make it a three-point game (19-16) with 11:20 showing on the first-half clock. Potter then checked into the game and knocked down a three pointer to spark Old Westbury's 24-6 run from 10:19 to 2:17 for a commanding 45-24 lead. Then with 56 seconds remaining,
Kaleem Edwards sank a free throw to extend Old Westbury's lead to 23 points (51-28). Old Westbury took a 52-32 lead into the break.
Yeshiva opened the second half with a 7-0 run to cut its deficit down to 13 points (52-39) with 16:47 left. Yeshiva then made it a nine-point game (57-48) off Rosenberg's layup at the 11:51 mark. Trebuse's jumper at 10:35 brought Old Westbury's lead back up to double digits, making it a 61-50 game. Old Westbury's lead swelled to 16 points before a 9-2 Yeshiva run with 1:27 remaining made it a 73-64 game. Old Westbury responded with an 8-0 spurt to push its lead to 17 points (81-64) with 40 seconds remaining to hold on for the 82-70 final.
In the end, Old Westbury shot 40.9 percent from the field (27-66), 34.8 percent from three-point range (8-23) and 74.1 percent from the free-throw line (20-27) while Yeshiva hit 44.8 percent from the floor (26-58), 28.6 percent from beyond the arc (4-14) and 77.8 percent from the charity stripe (14-18). Old Westbury won the boards battle, 40-38, scoring 14 second-chance points off 16 offensive rebounds. Old Westbury committed a season-low seven turnovers while Yeshiva allowed the Panthers to score 18 points off 14 Maccabee miscues.
SAGE GATORS UP NEXT FOR THE PANTHERS: Old Westbury takes on the Sage Gators in the semifinal round of the 2015 Skyline Conference Championship Tournament on Thursday (Feb. 26) at 7 p.m. inside Kahl Campus Center in Albany, New York.
Old Westbury split the season series with Sage, claiming the January 3 victory at home in overtime, 97-93, before falling 88-71 on the road January 12. The Panthers and Gators met for the first time in the postseason last season, with Old Westbury capturing an 81-69 victory at Sage on February 25, 2014. For the latest news on the Panthers, log on to www.oldwestburypanthers.com – the official site of Old Westbury athletics. Also, become a follower of the Panthers on Twitter (@OW_Panthers) and Instagram (OW_Panthers) and "LIKE" Us on Facebook (Old Westbury Panthers Athletics & Recreation / Old Westbury Athletics Alumni). 