Box Score

Jamaica, NY (Nov. 22, 2011) – The Panthers evened their early season record Tuesday night by sending host York College to a 65-53 defeat in the final game before the Thanksgiving break.

Standout center Rachel Perrone (SO/Poughquag, NY) led the way. She finished with a team-high 16 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Rookie Christina Rupp (FR/Ossining, NY) had a breakout game, netting nine points and grabbing 13 rebounds.  Veterans Alyse LaPadula* (SR/New Rochelle, NY) and Alyssa Guido (SR/Cliffside Park, NJ) chipped in with 13 points apiece in a nice all-around from all.  

Purchase (2-2) shutdown the Cardinals defensively. York shot just 28 percent from the field on the night and were outrebounded 57-40 on the evening. In addition, the Panthers also had 17 chance points, compared to five for York, which was the difference in the final score.

With the score tied at 11-11 in the early going, York went on a 12-2 run to take a 23-13 advantage with 9:50 to play in the first half. York's Vanessa Rivera was the catalyst during the stretch as she drained a pair of 3-pointers during the run. 

It was from that point on, however, where York began to struggle offensively and Purchase's defense took over.

York could not make a bucket for more than five minutes of play, which allowed the Panthers to score 15 unanswered points. Over that stretch, Purchase captured a 28-23 lead.

Guido scored seven points during the run and capped off the 15-0 stretch with a 3-pointer at the 4:08 mark of the first half.   The Panthers would maintain their five-point lead until halftime as they went into the locker room up by a score of 31-26.

In the second half, York made another run to cut into the Panther lead, moving to within four points (41-37) following a Joanna Josama layup with 11:55 to play.  

However, the Panthers held off York from there though, and then extended its lead to 11 points, following a layup by Rachel Perrone with 8:23 left. The Cardinals managed one small run inside the final seven minutes, but Purchase once again answered the bell, scoring on consecutive possessions to increase the lead back to 10 points (56-46, 5:39 to play).

The Cardinals (0-4) were led by Josama, who finished with a game-high 20 points, while also pulling down 10 rebounds. 

Purchase returns to action next week following the holiday break.

-York Sports Information Contributed to this report