OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. --- (www.OLDWESTBURYPANTHERS.com) SUNY Old Westbury men's basketball erased a double-digit first-half deficit with a strong 50-31 second-half showing en route to an 81-78 Skyline Conference Senior Day victory Saturday afternoon over the College of Mount Saint Vincent College Dolphins (8-15, 5-9 Skyline) inside Clark Athletic Center. With two games left to play in the regular season, Old Westbury improves to a 14-9 mark on the season and 10-4 in league play.

Prior to tip off, seniors Justin Alleyne-Washington (2018-20) and Pedro Marquez (2018-20) along with cheerleading seniors Chantel Coleman (2017-20) and Shauna Henderson (2019-20) were honored with the annual Senior Day Ceremony for their dedication to the Old Westbury men's basketball and cheerleading programs, respectively.

After an evenly contested opening 8:11 and tied at 17, Vinny Tavella, David Collins and Kalos Evans combined for 20 points as part of Mount Saint Vincent outscoring Old Westbury 30-14 in the remaining 11:30, to send the 47-31 game into the break. 

Raiquis Harris knocked down a three-pointer 16 seconds into the second-half as the Dolphins extended its lead to a game-high 19-points, 50-31. Mount Saint Vincent maintained the double-digit lead over the next 9:14, holding a 14-point lead (62-48) after Mamadou Mariko laid in two points. From 10:10 to 4:02, Old Westbury erupted with a 24-9 spurt headlined by Charles Wingate, Alleyne-Washington and Marquez putting together 22 points to claim the brief 72-71 lead. The Dolphins responded with a 7-3 run during the span of 1:19 capped by a pair of David Collins free throws to recapture the three-point lead (78-75). The Panthers poured in a trio of freebies to make it a 78-all game with 43 seconds remaining. Kelvin Turner-Harris missed a three-pointer with 29 seconds left before Marquez drained the game-winning triple with one seconds on the clock to settle the 81-78 final.

Scoring 16 points in the second-half, Marquez finished the afternoon by tying his career-high 27 points (9-of-19 FG, 5-of-12 3FG, 4-of-6 FT) along with dishing out a game-best eight assists for Old Westbury.  Wingate followed with 20 points (8-of-11 FG, 4-of-7 3FG). Alleyne-Washington chipped in with 18 points (9-of-11 FT), 10 rebounds and five assists to post his 13th-career double-double.

Harris finished with 12 points (5-of-9 FG), four steals and two blocks to pace Mount Saint Vincent.  Turner-Harris (4-of-6 FG, 3-of-4 3FG) and Collins (3-of-6 FG, 5-of-6 FT, six rebounds) both scored 11 points while Makai Johnson and Tavella each poured in 10 points.

In the end, Old Westbury shot 46.4  percent (26-of-56) from the field, 41.4 percent (12-of-29) from three-point territory and 70.8 percent (17-of-24) from the free-throw line.  By comparison, Mount Saint Vincent connected on 47.5 percent (29-of-61) from the floor, 42.9 percent (9-of-21) from beyond the arc and 68.8 (11-of-16) from the charity stripe. Old Westbury won the boards battle, 36-30, while Mount Saint Vincent scored 10 second-chance points off nine offensive rebounds. The Dolphins outplayed Old Westbury in steals (7-5), points in the paint (32-20) and bench points (30-4) while scoring 19 points off 19 Panther turnovers. Old Westbury held the edge in assists (20-15) and fastbreak points (20-18). Both teams drew even with two blocks apiece.

UP NEXT:
Old Westbury closes out its regular season home slate Tuesday (Feb. 18) with a Skyline Conference battle against the No. 21 Yeshiva University Maccabees at 8 p.m. inside Clark Athletic Center. 

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