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Purchase, NY (Feb. 27, 2014) – With top-seeded Farmingdale State going down, it looked like the stars were aligned for Purchase to once again host both the men's and women's basketball finals.

The men's team would take care of business in the nightcap Thursday night as the Panthers once again hosted both semifinals matchups, the way they did a year ago. However, this time, the women's team couldn't punch their ticket to the championship as Sage played the role of spoiler.

The third-seeded Gators earned a 73-66 final. No. 2 Purchase couldn't overcome foul trouble, as four of the five starters fouled out of the game, playing a larger role in the outcome.

The Panther women got off to strong start, at some points leading by as many as nine points against the Sage. But as expected in a semifinal matchup, the Gators came to play.

Sage crawled its way out of the nine-point deficit to lead with just under two minutes left in the first half. The Panthers, however, would fight back and end the half tied at 33 apiece.

As the second half started, both teams traded blows, but foul trouble limited the minutes of key starters Lineker St.Hilaire (JR/Wyandanch, NY), Elizabeth Osowiecki (SO/Franklin Square, NY), Jazmin Garcia (JR/Peekskill, NY) and Jessica Bullock (SR/Thiells, NY) – all of whom fouled out before the game was over.

Before fouling out, St.Hilaire and Garcia paced the Panthers with 19 and 18 points, respectively. Both players left it all on the floor, many times creating their own opportunities.

Sage, on the other hand, had many scoring chances created for them. Purchase had a total of 25 team fouls, giving Sage 38 chances at the charity stripe. The Gators converted 26 of those opportunities.

Leading Sage and all scorers was Megan Bowman, who netted 23 points. She also dished out six assists in their winning effort, despite only shooting 5 of 12 for the night.

Sage also edged out the Panthers on the boards, hauling in 33 rebounds, compared to Purchase's 30. Sage's Amie Jefferson grabbed 12 rebounds for herself, leading all rebounders, to go along with the 17 points she scored tonight.

Despite having most players out for the remainder of the game, the Panthers did not go without a fight. Sage held a five-point lead for most of the second half, and although the score would fluctuate, they would not let up.

Purchase knot the score at 66, with just under three minutes to go, but the Gators tightened up defensively to shut out Purchase for the final three minutes of the game, sealing the win for Sage.

Sage will continue on to the Skyline Championship to meet the College of Mount Saint Vincent, which upset FSC.   

The season may not be over for Purchase, who still has a shot of playing in the ECACs.