OLD WESTBURY, NY – The SUNY Old Westbury women's basketball team fell short in one of their closest games of the year. The Panthers fell to the Maccabees of Yeshiva University by a final score of 60-56 in a down to the wire Skyline Conference battle.
The game got off to a quick start with both sides scoring early in the quarter. The lead flipped back and forth several times but would ultimately stay with Yeshiva as they ended the first quarter ahead by three points, and a score of 9-6.
The second quarter saw much of the same, with both sides trading points throughout. With four minutes left in the first half, the Maccabees began a run that would give them a lead of 10 points. Yuval Nitzan had an impressive second quarter for YU as she had six of the team's 17 points. Yeshiva would go on and hold their 10-point advantage into halftime and led by a score of 26-16.
Coming out of the half, the Panthers came ready to fight back. The team managed to rally some buckets and close the gap to just three points with six minutes to go in the third quarter. This came from three key baskets from
MaLaura Olivier, a pair of free throws from
Phalan Smith and a jumper from
Tyela Davidson.
Despite the efforts to cut the deficit, Yeshiva found a way to go on a run themselves. With just over a minute left in the third quarter, Yeshiva had their largest lead of the night as they led by 11 points. The third quarter would come to a close with a score of 43-35 in favor of the Maccabees and the Panthers trailed by eight points.
The fourth quarter showcased some of the most exciting basketball in the Clark Center to-date this season. The Panthers began the quarter by chipping away at Yeshiva's lead. Thanks to two crucial three-point shots from Olivier and Davidson and a layup from
Allysha Thomas, the Panthers found themselves down by only one possession with five minutes to go in the game.
The final two minutes of the game were by far the most exhilarating for the fans, players, and coaches. Old Westbury managed to close the gap to just one point thanks to yet another key shot from Olivier. After a couple foul shots, and with one minute to go in the game, Yeshiva had a four-point lead over Old Westbury.
Tyela Davidson was fouled with just over 10 seconds to go and cashed in on both free throw shots to make it a two-point game. That said, the Panthers could not get another stop and Yeshiva came out victorious. The Maccabees defeated the Panthers by a final score of 60-56.
For the Panthers,
MaLaura Olivier had her best game of the year. She ended the night with 17 points, seven rebounds, an assist and a game high five steals. Olivier cashed in on three shots from behind the arc and seven field goals.
Another impressive performance for Old Westbury came from
Tyela Davidson. She scored 10 points on the night and had four rebounds.
Fatima Thompson had a game and season high of 17 rebounds. Thompson also scored nine points and had one block.
As for Yeshiva, there were several impressive performances throughout the game. The team had two players who each recorded a double-double. Yuval Nitzan scored 18 points and recorded 13 rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block. Daniella Bessler played 40 minutes and recorded 17 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals.
Despite the incredible effort and fight from the Panthers, the team fell short in this one.
The Panthers will play next on Thursday night as they host St. Joseph's University-Brooklyn in the Clark Center for a Skyline Conference match-up at 5pm.
