When and Where:

February 8, 2025 - Patchogue, NY

Records:

St. Joseph's (L.I.), 9-12, 8-4 Skyline
SUNY Old Westbury, 8-12, 3-9 Skyline

Results:

The St. Joseph's University (L.I.) men's basketball team earned a 73-63 Skyline Conference victory over SUNY Old Westbury on Senior Day at the Danzi Center on Saturday afternoon.

Top performers:

• Senior Alec Tabada scored 16 points to lead the Golden Eagles, adding six rebounds, three assists, and a team-high two steals. He also tied the game-high with three blocks
• Sophomore AJ Esposito led all players with 11 rebounds while adding nine points on 3-for-5 shooting from the field with three assists
• Junior Anthony Todd scored nine points with six rebounds and a steal
• Graduate Student Justin Forest and sophomore Kenny Rodriguez each contributed nine points
• Zion Williams scored a game-high 22 points for the Panthers on 8-for-17 shooting from the field with a game-high eight assists and three steals
• Kellen Leake added 11 points and two assists

How it happened:

• Old Westbury jumped out in front to take an 11-0 lead in the game's first three and a half minutes, with Zion Williams scoring six of those points
• Senior Ryan McNeely scored the next five points of the game, then the Panthers increased their lead back to 10 (15-5) on back-to-back baskets by Jamari Williams at the 12:54 mark
• SJLI came within five twice, then Old Westbury went up by 10 (22-12) on a layup by Chris Smith with 9:41 on the clock
• The visitors took their largest lead of the game on a three by Leake with 9:01 remaining, increasing the lead to 12 (25-13)
• About a minute and a half later, Esposito scored six consecutive points to trim the deficit to five (27-22) with 6:25 on the clock
• After a Michael Obi layup for the Panthers, the Golden Eagles scored seven straight points to tie the game at 29. Rodriguez connected with a three to cut the lead to two points, then Todd made a layup to tie the game with 3:10 on the clock
• A three by Graduate Student Matt Coletti put St. Joseph's in the lead 32-31 to finish the half, as the hosts went into the break with a one-point advantage
• With SJLI ahead 36-33 one minute into the second half, Todd recorded a three-point play to extend the lead to six (39-33)
• The Golden Eagles took a double-digit lead (50-39) shortly after on a three by Tabada at the 14:28 mark
• Following a three by Joel Ofori, St. Joseph's went on an 8-0 run to take a 16-point lead (58-42) at the 9:07 mark on a Todd layup
• Shortly after, Old Westbury cut the lead to 10 (62-52) on a three by Zion Williams with 7:44 remaining, then the Golden Eagles scored the next six points to take back a lead of 16 (68-52). Rodriguez scored four of those points
• McNeely's layup gave St. Joseph's their largest lead of the afternoon, as the hosts increased their lead to 17 (70-53) with 4:36 on the clock
• The hosts maintained a lead of at least 10 for the remainder of the game, as they picked up a 73-63 conference victory over Old Westbury

Notes:

• St. Joseph's shot 40.7% from the field and 43.8% from beyond the arc
• Old Westbury posted a 39.3% shooting percentage overall and 26.1% from beyond the arc
• The Golden Eagles went 18-for-25 (72%) on free throws, while the Panthers went 9-for-20 (45%) on free throws
• There were two technical fouls handed out, both to the Golden Eagles at the 16:41 mark in the second half
• The Golden Eagles held a 46-34 rebounding advantage
• Old Westbury outscored the hosts in the paint (32-28)
• SJLI's bench contributed 35 points, while OW's bench added eight

Next up:

The Golden Eagles head on the road to take on SUNY Maritime on Tuesday, February 11 for a conference match-up at 7:00pm.