PURCHASE, NY – A tumultuous season took another loss tonight at Purchase, but the women's basketball team continued to battle, holding SUNY Old Westbury to a low-scoring first quarter, before giving up the advantage after a series of turnovers in the second quarter.
Old Westbury ran away with a 29-18 halftime lead to record a 58-43 final in the Skyline Conference matchup. With the win, the visitors move 6-6 overall and 6-4 in the league. Purchase drops to 2-11 overall and 1-7 in the Skyline.
Purchase once again played hard in the first quarter, shooting 31 percent from the field, while holding Old Westbury's offense to just 19 percent shooting. But the Panthers couldn't maintain their strong start, shooting 23 percent over the next 10 minutes to trail by nine points (29-18) at the break.
Filling in for head coach
Varrell Eddie on the bench was top assistant
Quentin Merritt II. Merritt's halftime speech appeared to inspire Purchase down the stretch as the Panthers came out with the same fire that Old Westbury showed in the second quarter.
Despite a continuous effort in the final stanza, the Panthers could not shut down the opposing offense as Old Westbury notched the victory with the sound of the final buzzer.
Old West's Phalen Smith led all scorers with 15 points to go along with seven rebounds. Davida Warren recorded a double-double performance in the books with 14 points and a game-high 18 rebounds, while La'Niya Clark finished with 10 points and Ja'nya Flash collected a notable 10 boards.
For Purchase, sophomore guard
Shadai Plowden (Yonkers, NY) tallied a team-best 14 points and two steals. Senior guard
Arta Krasniqi (Bronx, NY) led the defensive effort with 10 rebounds and a game-high four blocks.
The Panthers return to action this Saturday (Jan. 18), when they host the Golden Eagles of St. Joseph's College (L.I.) for a noon tip-off.
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