Albany, NY— The Panthers of SUNY-Old Westbury captured the 2016 Skyline Conference Women's Basketball Championship on Saturday afternoon, beating top seeded Sage, 57-43 in Kahl Gym. With the victory the Panthers have earned the program's first Skyline Conference championship and the league's automatic berth into the 2016 NCAA Division III Tournament. SUNY-Old Westbury improves to 23-5, while Sage's season wraps with a 21-6 performance.
SUNY-Old Westbury led 20-18 at the half in a defensive battle that saw senior guard Raven Pentz (Wallkill, NY/Wallkill Senior) tapped as the tournament Most Outstanding Player. By game's end, Pentz had a game-high 20 points with five assists, a steal and a 6-6 effort from the line.
Junior center Ruth Vargas (Brentwood, NY/Brentwood) finished with nine points and nine rebounds off the bench with a block, while junior Crystal Barnes (Brooklyn, NY/Brooklyn Technical) added 11 defensive rebounds for the Panthers.
Sage's sophomore forward Gen Schoff (Little Falls, NY/Little Falls) led the way with 10 points, while adding six rebounds. She made 9-of-12 free throws in the action and now has 132 free throws on the season, an active Sage record. Rookie guard Kaitlyn Bowman (Dannemora, NY/Saranac) career-high 14 rebounds while adding eight points with three assists and a steal. Freshman Macie Holmes (Amsterdam, NY/Mekeel Christian academy) added eight points with four rebounds and two assists, while junior guard Frankie Pearson (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls Central) connected for six points with seven rebounds.
Sage's 2015-2016 season was filled with numerous record-breaking accomplishments including a program-best 21 wins, a 15-game win streak that spanned the months of December and January, while numerous individual marks were shattered. Pearson, who is Sage's all-time career three-point leader has 135 treys in just three seasons at Sage, while also breaking the program's single-season three-point mark with 66.
Schoff finishes the year with a team-leading 419 points which is the third highest point total for a Gator, She also penned her name into the single-season record book with 149 made free throws on 196 attempts. Schoff, a First Team All-Skyline pick boasts 636 points in just two season at Sage, while Pearson now has 759 points and is No. 10 all-time at Sage.
