Box Score
Purchase, NY (Dec. 2, 2013) – The Purchase College women's basketball team opened the month of December on a high note Monday, building off back-to-back wins prior to the Thanksgiving Break to reel off their third straight victory in an 84-74 win against the College of St. Elizabeth.
The Panthers are now 3-2 to start the winter campaign. In its return from the holiday, Purchase fended off the Eagles, who dropped to 3-4 in the non-conference tilt, taking a 43-38 advantage into halftime and nearly duplicating the effort over the final 20 minutes, outscoring CSE 41-36 after intermission.
Although Purchase was outscored in the paint, the Panthers capitalized on points off turnovers, topping CSE 18-15 in that department, while also receiving 27 points off the bench, which allowed Purchase to navigate around the Eagles pressure late in the second half. The visitors were able to whittle the deficit down to single digits after Purchase raced out to a 47-38 margin and later a 57-40 lead – the largest of the night.
The Eagles would climb back to 78-70 before Purchase regrouped and sealed the victory over the final nine minutes. The Panthers were led offensively by center Jazmin Garcia (JR/Peekskill, NY), who will celebrate a birthday tomorrow and turns 20 on Tuesday, and fellow front court standout Jess Lindsay (SR/Rochester, NY), who finished the night with 20 points – one behind Garcia and her team-high 21.
Although Garcia was under the weather, she went 8 of 17 from the field and paired with Lindsay's 8 of 18 showing, yielded a combined 42 points between the two. The tandem also went a perfect 4 of 4 from the free-throw line, respectively.
In addition, the Panthers scored a huge lift off the bench in the presence of guard Kristine Viven (SO/New York, NY) and Elizabeth Osowiecki (SO/Franklin Square, NY), who each turned in outstanding games in 20-plus minutes of action off the pine. Viven shot a perfect 5 of 5 from the field, netting 14 points. The guard also managed five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Osowiecki, who saw time at forward and center, added 13 points, three boards, three assists and two steals in a solid all-around effort.
Jessica Bullock (SR/Thiells, NY) also had some timely hoops for the hosts, chipping in eight points, four rebounds and a team-high five assists, as the Panthers held off a tough CSE squad, who were paced by sharp-shooting guard Ashley Pledger. She finished with a game-high 32 points. Center Danesha Triplett contributed 18 and forward Cheyenne Grant netted 13 in defeat.
As a team, Purchase rallied for 12 steals, led by Garcia's six, and limited the Eagles to 42 percent shooting, including 30 percent from beyond the arc, while registering a 47 percent tally from the field offensively, and the key stat of the night: success at the charity stripe, where the Panthers connected on nearly 90 percent (17 of 19, 89.5 %) from the line.
The Panthers will look to make it four straight on Saturday when they host rival Farmingdale State as part of a men's and women's basketball doubleheader. The women tip second at 2 p.m.
