Purchase, NY (Feb. 15, 2019) – The women's basketball team honored six seniors at their last home game by improving their winning streak to five games, as they closed the regular season with a 76-61 victory over Skyline Conference competitor College of Mount Saint Vincent on Friday.
The visiting Dolphins opened strong as they got ahead adding 11 points to the board within the first four minutes. The Panthers were trailing not far behind, and when Amber Jones (SR/Bronx, N.Y.) stole the ball from Mount Saint Vincent to break away with a good lay-up the game was tied. Alpha Dejesus (JR/Bronx, N.Y.) followed with another lay-up in the next offensive play that broke the tie, putting Purchase ahead.
The lead then continuously see-sawed as both teams continued back and forth scoring.
A surge in the eighth minute gave the Panthers an advantage that the Dolphins could not recover from for the rest of the match up. Dejeana Peoples (SO/New York, N.Y.), Arta Krasniqi (JR/Bronx, N.Y.) and Jones hit three back to back three pointers within one minute advancing the Panthers to 26 points. They finished the first quarter with a lead of 28-23.
The Panthers remained ahead as the second quarter ended with a score of 39-32.
Purchase maintained control in the second half, as they prevented all of Mount Saint Vincent's scoring attempts for the first five minutes of the third quarter.
The Dolphins tried catching up as the third ended with a score of 58-48. But these efforts were not enough after Purchase put up another 18 points in the fourth to cap the victory.
Despite recently etching her name into the program's 1,000 point club, Jones proved she had more high scoring performances under her belt as she earned the game high 32 points.
Living up to her title as the team's "rebounding champion," senior Nyasia Harris (South Fallsburg, N.Y.) grabbed an impressive 13 rebounds.
While the spotlight was on the seniors, it didn't stop underclassmen from shining as freshman Shadai Plowden (Yonkers, N.Y.) added 14 points and 10 rebounds. Peoples also finished the night with eight points.
Prior to the game, Coach Varrell Eddie prepared some lasting words about each senior.
"Aleesha Carroll (SR/Houston, T.X.) joined the team this year and worked hard everyday to improve her game. She was a great addition who provided positive energy, determination and a big smile. She will be missed."
"Lumi Huseonovic (SR/Brooklyn, N.Y.) has been a member of the team for two years and is one of the toughest and hardest working players to come through the program. She was constantly cheered on by her teammates, yelling "Free Lumi," and when Lumi is on the court you can guarantee she will provide hustle, energy and a few big rebounds."
"Amber Yarter (SR/Albany, N.Y.), affectionately referred to as Bambi, joined us after two years at SUNY Adirondack. She made a position change from shooting guard to point guard and has found tons of success. She sees the floor, runs the team and makes some passes that no one sees coming. She currently stands second on the team in three pointers with 30, and second on the team in assists with 56."
"Harris came to us after two years at SUNY Orange. Known for her rebounding prowess, she has solidified herself as one of the best rebounders in the conference. To date, she has recorded six double-doubles this season and is amongst the top ten in the conference with 239 rebounds. Nyasia has an infectious personality and is loved by her coaches and teammates alike. She is also a talented singer and artist."
"Nadia Shadi (SR/New York, N.Y.) is the last player from Coach Eddie's first day on the job. Nadia is a four year player, and has improved each and every year. Not only has she improved as a player, but also developed as a leader and as a person during her time on the team. She has fight and determination and will do whatever it takes for our team to be successful. Her dedication to the game and commitment to the program is a great representation of what it means to be a women's basketball player at Purchase College. Her contribution to the culture of the women's basketball will be everlasting."
"Jones came to us from LIU Post and is leaving us with a bunch of accolades. Amber has an uncanny ability to score and she has done just that in her career at Purchase. Last season she was named First Team All Conference, D3 National Hero of the Week, Metropolitan Player of the Week and two time Player of the Week in the Skyline Conference. She also scored a career high 42 points against St.Joseph's Long Island. This season, she scored a season best 38 points against Rutgers Newark. On February 4, she became the sixth player in the program history to eclipse the 1000 point mark."
