The Old Westbury Panthers men’s basketball team had an impressive performance on the afternoon of February 1st, defeating Mount St. Mary’s College 87-50 at home. From the very beginning, the Panthers set the tone, charging to an early lead that Mount St. Mary’s was unable to recover from.
The game tipped off with Old Westbury’s Joel Ofori winning the opening jump ball, and the Panthers wasted no time in asserting control. They quickly built a 5-0 lead, with Ofori contributing early. By the 8-minute mark of the first half, Old Westbury had a commanding 20-6 advantage. The team’s defensive pressure and offensive efficiency continued to shine throughout the first half, and by halftime, the Panthers had extended their lead to 41-18.
Mount St. Mary’s struggled offensively in the first half, shooting just 25.8% from the field and a horrid 9% from three-point range (1-of-11). In contrast, the Panthers displayed solid shooting, connecting on 45% of their field goals and 29.4% from beyond the arc.
Though the Mountaineers managed to improve their shooting in the second half finishing at 31.4% from the field and 13% from three-point range their efforts fell short as Old Westbury’s lead was too much to overcome. The Panthers closed out the game in dominant fashion, securing the 87-50 victory.
It was a well-rounded team effort from the Panthers, with four players scoring in double figures. Jamari “Florida” Williams led the charge with 16 points, 5 assists, and 6 rebounds. Kellen Leake, ranked 7th in the conference for three-point shooting, had a rare off-night from beyond the arc (2-of-11), but still managed to contribute 16 points and 3 rebounds. Amadi Lee-Kane, the Panthers’ “Franchise” player, had an up-and-down shooting performance (1-of-7 from three, 3-of-10 from the field), but still posted a solid 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Joel Ofori was a force in the paint, recording a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Chris Smith and Michael “Ocho” Obi were strong contributors off the bench, with Smith finishing with 7 points and 6 rebounds, and Obi adding 6 points and 6 rebounds.
Mount St. Mary’s was led by Cyran Connor, who posted 11 points and 6 rebounds. However, the rest of the team struggled to find their rhythm, with no other player scoring more than 5 points.
With this win, Old Westbury improved to 8-10 on the season and 3-7 in Skyline Conference play, moving into 4th place in their division. The victory has given the Panthers a boost as they continue to push for a spot in the conference playoffs. Looking ahead, Old Westbury will face a tough challenge in their next game against Mount St. Vincent on February 5th, who sit at 7-12 overall and 4-6 in conference play. As they look to build on this dominant performance, the Panthers will aim to climb further up the standings in their pursuit of a postseason berth.
