Box Score 

Newburgh, NY (Jan. 9, 2014) – A hot start spelled victory for No. 18 Purchase at Mount Saint Mary College.

The 18th-ranked Panthers coasted 81-66 after opening the game on a 13-1 run. The Knights trailed by as many as 28 points in the first half, but went into the locker room down 23 by a score of 53-30.

The Panthers took their largest lead of the game of 31 points at 79-48 with 5:06 to play. Purchase shot 50.7 percent (34 of 67) from the field and 50 percent (9 of 18) from beyond the arc in the winning effort Thursday evening.

The Knights made 33.8 percent (22-of-65) of their shots in the loss. The nationally-ranked Panthers outrebounded the Knights by a slim margin of 40-37, halting MSMC's five-game win streak.

On a positive note for the hosts, MSMC guard Donte Howell scored his 1,000thcareer point.

MSMC dropped to 8-4 overall and 4-1 in Skyline Conference play. The Panthers are now 9-0 overall and 4-0 in league play Skyline) at the Kaplan Center. The loss halts the Knights' winning streak at five games.

Howell went on to lead the Knights with 15 points on the evening.

Purchase's Joel Neri (JR/Port Chester, NY) scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed nine boards in the process. David Haughton (SR/Greenbugh, NY) picked up a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Justin Person (JR/Greenburgh, NY) also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists.

-MSMC Sports Information Contributed to this report