OLD WESTBURY, NY – The SUNY Old Westbury men's basketball team was defeated in a tough loss to the Maritime College Privateers by a final score of 62-47. This was the first Skyline Conference action for Old Westbury this season.
The Panthers fought hard throughout the entire game but in the end, Maritime got the best of them and pulled away with the win. Throughout the game there were a total of four lead changes back-and-forth between the two teams.
The game got off to a fast start with both teams cashing in on their attempts. The Panthers had one of their best offensive performances of the season. Throughout the first half, the Panthers shot the ball just under 40 percent and 36 percent from behind the arc.
The Panthers went on a bit of a shooting spree from behind the arc in the second half of the first period. Both
Elijah Canady and
Jamari Williams cashed in on two three-pointers each in the first half alone.
Jamari Williams would go on to help the Panthers hold on to their first halftime lead of the season. Williams had a nice first half for OW as he entered the break with eight points and four boards.
The Panthers went into halftime ahead by a margin of three points, with a score of 30-27.
Old Westbury lost their groove at halftime as their offense struggled to shoot the ball to the same standard as the first half. The team could not find as many clean looks, leading to their 20 percent shooting percentage and just over 18 percent from three-point territory. Maritime would slowly inch away with the lead and held onto it for a bulk of the second half.
Despite the offensive struggles in the second half, the Panthers had some top moments of the season in this one. There were several strong performances from OW.
Amadi Lee-Kane led the team in scoring with 14 points on the night. He would also finish the matchup with six rebounds and a block.
Another key contributor for the Panthers was
Jordan Johnson-Rader. Despite only scoring a bucket, Johnson-Rader grabbed seven boards for Old Westbury and a game-high three blocks.
As a unit, the Panthers struggled to hit their free throws. The team hit seven of 16 free throws throughout the game, an overall 44 percent from the line.
The Privateers had several impressive contributors. Theo Noble was their leading scorer with 14 points. He also led the game in rebounding with 11. Noble converted two of the teams four three pointers. Amadou Kouyate finished the night with 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists.
Maritime outscored the Panthers down low as they scored 30 of their points in the paint compared to OW's 12.
Despite several shining moments including holding the lead at halftime, the Panthers did not do enough tonight to come out on top.
The team will practice and prepare as they turn their attention to another Skyline Conference matchup against Farmingdale State who they will face off against this coming Saturday, December 9 at 2pm on the road.
