MBB Championship Central
Monday's selection show (12:30 p.m.)
OLD WESTBURY, NY - The top-seeded SUNY Old Westbury men's basketball team (19-8) punched its ticket to the 2016 NCAA Division III Championship with Saturday's 63-47 Skyline Conference Championship victory over the visiting No. 6 St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) Bears (15-13) inside Clark Athletic Center.
The host Panthers last advanced to the NCAA Division III Championship after claiming the 2004 Skyline title. Old Westbury earns the conference's automatic bid to "the dance," which begins on March 3. Old Westbury awaits its seeding in the NCAA Division III Championship, with pairings announced during Monday's selection show at 12:30 p.m.
Jamail Stanley led the way with 16 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and three steals to earn the Skyline Conference Championship Most Outstanding Player award. He contributed 46 points, 22 rebounds, seven blocks, six steals and five assists to the two-game championship run.
Lylle Ryals came off the bench to land back-to-back 3-pointers to give Old Westbury a 14-6 lead with 11:32 remaining in the opening half. Trailing 20-12, St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) used a 17-8 run to close out the final 7:26 as Jamir Archer's jumper with 48 seconds left gave the Bears a 29-28 edge heading into the half.
Stanley put the Panthers up for good with two of his 14 second-half points to give Old Westbury a 30-29 advantage. Luckens Victor dropped in a layup at 12:46 to spark a 26-7 Panther run to extend the lead to a game-high 20 points (60-40) with 1:44 showing on the clock.
Ryals and P.J. Page each netted 11 points, while Victor and Kaleem Edwards pulled down nine rebounds apiece. Edwards, Page, Victor and Stephon Odle each nabbed two steals. Odle dished out a game-high five assists and Edwards followed with four.
Archer poured in a game-high 20 points (10-of-15 FG) to pace the Bears. Alec Willis added 13 points as Michael Megafu and Matt O'Neill each handed out four assists.
Old Westbury finished the game shooting 35.7 percent (20-of-56) from the field, 32 percent (8-of-25) from three-point territory and 71.4 percent (15-of-21) at the free-throw line. By comparison, St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) hit on 37 percent (20-of-54) from the floor, 15 percent (3-of-20) from long distance and 44.4 percent (4-of-9) at the charity stripe. Old Westbury won the boards battle, 40-34, scoring 14 second-chance points off 15 offensive rebounds. The Panthers also held the edge in steals (12-8), blocks (5-2) and assists (13-11), while scoring 20 points off 21 Bear turnovers.
Courtesy Old Westbury Sports Information