PURCHASE, NY – The SUNY Old Westbury women's basketball team opened the new year on the road as the team suffered a tough loss against the Manhattanville College Valiants by a final score of 100-37 on Tuesday night. 
 
Manhattanville pulled away quickly and spread the scoring gap throughout the first quarter. Although the Panthers put points on the board, their nine points were no match for the Valiants' 24 points and 15 point lead over OW as the first quarter came to a close.
 
As the second quarter kicked off, the Panthers would try to make up ground but could not find ways to stop Manhattanville. At halftime, the score was 53-19 in favor of the Valiants.
 
The second half of the game would feature much of the same with OW struggling to defend the high-intensity offense that was showcased by Manhattanville.  Throughout the night, Manhattanville's largest lead was 64 points.
 
The Vailants would win this matchup comfortably by a final score of 100-37 over the Panthers.
 
Despite the final score, the Panthers battled hard in this one. Old Westbury entered this game, with only five active players. With that being said, each Panther player was on the court for all 40 minutes with limited rest.
 
Sierra Rowe led the team in scoring as she ended the night with 12 points. Rowe also recorded three rebounds, three assists and a steal. She hit one of three shots from behind the arc and shot 50 percent from the floor.
 
Phalan Smith tied Rowe in scoring with 12 points. Smith also ended the game with two boards and three steals.
 
Kasiobi Okenwa finished the night as the leading rebounder for Old Westbury. Okenwa had eight rebounds and eight points.
 
As for Manhattanville, Niyona Smith was the game's leading scorer with 19 points. Smith also finished the game with seven rebounds, two assists, and four steals. Jamison Agostino scored 18 points and had three rebounds and two assists.
 
The Panthers finished this one with a shooting percentage of just under 32 percent and a three-point percentage of 10 percent. OW committed 36 turnovers, allowing Manhattanville to score 38 points from turnovers.
 
Despite their tough loss, the Panthers will look to bounce back and pickup their first win of 2024 as the team prepares to take on Farmingdale State College for another Skyline Conference matchup. The game will take place on Thursday, January 4 at 6pm in the Clark Center.