Trailing by as many as 12 early in the second half, New Paltz cut the Panthers’ lead to one, but key misses from the free throw line allowed Old Westbury to regain control and build its lead back up to as many as 13 in the final minute of play.
With 5:45 remaining in the second half, Nate Marner sank a lay-up that put Old Westbury up by 10. Matt Irwin’s three-pointer on the next play kicked off a 9-0 run by New Paltz, which was capped by two free throws that cut the Old Westbury lead to one. The Hawks had an opportunity to tie the game from the free throw line, but John Hauser missed the front end of a one-and-one and the Panthers came back attacking.
Russell Brereton hit two free throws on the next play, and Phillips followed with five-straight points, putting the Panthers back on top by eight. After Matt Irwin hit only one-of-two for the Hawks, Phillips sank his third three-pointer, this time giving Old Westbury a 10-point advantage with less than one minute remaining that New Paltz would not come back from.
Old Westbury led by as many as seven in the first half, but the Hawks kept the game tight, pulling within one on two occasions. The Panthers never trailed in the game.
Michael Garrett led all scorers with 29 points, shooting 10-of-14 from the field and 4-of-6 from the three-point line. Darnell Mayers added 13 points off the bench. The Panthers shot a season-best 49.1% form the field (27-55). Jerome Richards finished with a double-double for New Paltz, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Old Westbury returns to action on Thursday when it hosts Mt. St. Vincent in the second game of a men’s/women’s double-header. The women tip-off at 6 pm, the men follow at approximately 8 pm.