2008 Woodie Awards
Old Westbury Overcomes 20-Point Deficit to Upend Men's Basketball in Skyline Semifinals
Brian Granata
Issue date: 2/23/07 Section: Sports
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Sophomore forward Garthlette James capped a wild game with a three-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining in the first overtime as the SUNY College at Old Westbury men's basketball team recorded a thrilling 83-80 victory over Stevens Institute of Technology during the semifinals of the Skyline Conference tournament on Thursday evening at the Canavan Arena in Hoboken, N.J. James finished with 14 points and six rebounds as the third-seeded Panthers (18-9) advanced to the conference finals to face top-seeded Manhattanville College on Saturday.
Stevens fell to 21-6 with the loss. The Ducks will await word of a possible at-large bid to the NCAA tournament or an invitation to the ECAC tournament. Both tournament fields will be announced on Monday.
Sophomore guard Virgil Gray II totaled 29 points in the loss. Junior guard Waleed Farid had 20 points. Freshman guard George Greco added 16 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field. Senior forward Michael Collins chipped in with six points and 13 rebounds.
Junior guard Kenny Eusey led the Panthers with 25 points and eight rebounds. Junior forward Divine Jackson added 14 points.
Leading 19-15 with just under 13 minutes to go in the first half, Stevens went on a 20-4 run over a six-minute stretch to build a 39-19 lead. Gray scored 11 points in the run for the Ducks.
Old Westbury answered right back with 16 unanswered points to pull within 39-35 on a lay-up by James with 1:24 remaining in the half. Eusey and James combined to score nine of the Panthers' 16 points in the run.
With 1.5 seconds remaining on the clock, senior guard Floyd Morris threw a baseball pass down the court. Collins soared in the air to catch the ball above the three-point arc. In one motion, he fired a pass to Farid, who buried a running three-pointer at the buzzer as the Ducks carried a 42-35 lead into the locker room.
With less than two minutes remaining in regulation, Stevens led 74-70. Following a basket by senior forward Derek DeLoney, Jackson tied the score at 74-all on a lay-up with 27 seconds to go. The Ducks had one final chance at the end of the period to win the game, but Farid misfired on a three-pointer from the left wing.
With his team down by four points with just over a minute left in overtime, Gray nailed two free throws. On the ensuing Panthers' possession, Gray stole the ball from junior guard Ian Johnson and scored on a breakaway lay-up to knot things up at 80-all. Without calling a timeout, Old Westbury moved the ball down court, and James drained a three from the top of the arc to provide the capper to a wild game. After three straight timeouts, Stevens was unable to get a good look as Farid launched a desperation three-pointer from deep along the left sideline.
Stevens fell to 21-6 with the loss. The Ducks will await word of a possible at-large bid to the NCAA tournament or an invitation to the ECAC tournament. Both tournament fields will be announced on Monday.
Sophomore guard Virgil Gray II totaled 29 points in the loss. Junior guard Waleed Farid had 20 points. Freshman guard George Greco added 16 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the field. Senior forward Michael Collins chipped in with six points and 13 rebounds.
Junior guard Kenny Eusey led the Panthers with 25 points and eight rebounds. Junior forward Divine Jackson added 14 points.
Leading 19-15 with just under 13 minutes to go in the first half, Stevens went on a 20-4 run over a six-minute stretch to build a 39-19 lead. Gray scored 11 points in the run for the Ducks.
Old Westbury answered right back with 16 unanswered points to pull within 39-35 on a lay-up by James with 1:24 remaining in the half. Eusey and James combined to score nine of the Panthers' 16 points in the run.
With 1.5 seconds remaining on the clock, senior guard Floyd Morris threw a baseball pass down the court. Collins soared in the air to catch the ball above the three-point arc. In one motion, he fired a pass to Farid, who buried a running three-pointer at the buzzer as the Ducks carried a 42-35 lead into the locker room.
With less than two minutes remaining in regulation, Stevens led 74-70. Following a basket by senior forward Derek DeLoney, Jackson tied the score at 74-all on a lay-up with 27 seconds to go. The Ducks had one final chance at the end of the period to win the game, but Farid misfired on a three-pointer from the left wing.
With his team down by four points with just over a minute left in overtime, Gray nailed two free throws. On the ensuing Panthers' possession, Gray stole the ball from junior guard Ian Johnson and scored on a breakaway lay-up to knot things up at 80-all. Without calling a timeout, Old Westbury moved the ball down court, and James drained a three from the top of the arc to provide the capper to a wild game. After three straight timeouts, Stevens was unable to get a good look as Farid launched a desperation three-pointer from deep along the left sideline.
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