Box Score
Old Westbury, NY (Feb. 11, 2014) – On a day when the men's team jumped back up in national standings, Purchase also got another big lift in what is amounting to a dream season of dream seasons.
The Panthers, now ranked No. 18 in the nation, delivered an 85-68 win at Old Westbury Tuesday night for their 20th win of the season. Head coach Jeff Charney has guided Purchase to another 20 win campaign during his six-year tenure. But his latest, may be the best for him and the men's team, with the 20th win coming well before the postseason.
With the victory on Tuesday night, Purchase is now 20-1, with four regular-season games left to play. The only blemish in a near perfect campaign to date is a loss at Albertus Magnus that dropped the then No. 13-ranked Panthers to No. 20 in the nation, according to D3hoops.com.
The Panthers have bounced back nicely from that defeat, reeling off six in a row. Meanwhile, remain undefeated in conference play, rolling to 14-0.
OId Westbury is now 12-9 overall and 8-6 in the Skyline.
In its latest win, Purchase took a command early, staking claim to nine of the game's first 11 points.
Old Westbury then grabbed 17 of the next 28 tallies and brought the game to within one point. Despite the effort, Old Westbury conceded 15 of the 16 points and found themselves in a 15-point hole.
Purchase would eventually take a 40-29 lead into halftime.
An ensuing 29-10 run by Purchase following a hot start from Old Westbury early in the second half put the guests up 82-58.
The 24-point lead would be the largest margin of the match, and Old Westbury never recovered. At the buzzer it was Purchase 85, Old Westbury 68.
Purchase, who shot 44.6% from the floor, dominated in bench points (30-10), and also claimed healthy advantages in points in the paint (36-26) and points off turnovers (18-10).
Purchase's Andre Nixon (SR/Harlem, NY) scored a game-high 21 points, shooting 5 of 10 from three and 4 of 5 from the line. Center Joel Neri (JR/Port Chester, NY) added 18 points and grabbed six boards.
Floyd Leroy led the hosts with 19 points. Andrew Andries also contributed a strong showing, collecting eight points, 12 rebounds and four blocks.
Purchase will host Yeshiva Sunday and is gearing up for the final four regular-season games of the winter campaign, which includes next Wednesday night's Senior Night festivities.
-OW Sports Information Contributed to this report
