Jamaica, NY (Nov. 18, 2015) – Purchase head coach Kyle Martin and his men's basketball team picked up their first win of the 2015-16 season Wednesday night at York College, staging a dramatic comeback in the second half to not only get in the win column, but to also earn the new skipper his first collegiate victory as the program's new leading man.

The Panthers were down 11 at the half, but rallied behind walk-on Michael Soffer (FR/Agoura, CA), their defense and five starters, who finished with double-figure points. Soffer spearheaded a second-half charge, playing 17, second-half minutes, while scoring nine point, grabbing five rebounds and leading the defensive effort.

In the process, Purchase erased an 11-point deficit to upend the Cardinals, 81-78. For Martin, it's his first head coaching win at the college level after joining the Panthers this season from DIII power Morrisville State, where he was the team's top assistant.

Swingman Nicholas Jackson (SR/Brooklyn, NY) led the way with 18 points and 14 boards for the visitors. York's Rashaan Bailey nearly recorded a triple-double, finishing with 18 points, 12 boards and nine assists.

After leading 42-31 at the break, the Cardinals watched as the Panthers cut their lead cut to four points with just under 11 minutes remaining.

Purchase (1-2) got a tip-in from center Joel Neri (SR/Port Chester, NY) and a 3-pointer from Soffer to take a 61-60 lead – its first of the contest. 

From there, the Panthers caught fire and pulled ahead by 11 points (79-68) with 2:21 to play.

The Cardinals (1-2) rallied, forcing four turnovers in five Purchase possessions and scoring each time to cut the deficit to just one point (79-78) with 20 seconds remaining. 

York had a chance to win it on the next possession, but they turned the ball over as well and were forced to foul. 

Purchase hit both free throws to go up by three. York brought the ball up with eight seconds remaining and got a good look from Bailey, but the shot was just off the mark, sealing the first win for Martin and the Panthers. In the postgame, Martin credited the defense and the bench, especially Soffer, for turning the game around.

Neri finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds in a double-double. Guard Jose Reyes (SR/Bronx, NY) and forward Taylor Foster (SR/Greenburgh, NY) added 15 and 12 points, respectively, while rookie starter Max Pearce (SO/Tuckahoe, NY) added 11 points.

The Panthers will look to keep it going this weekend in the highly competitive Ramapo tournament.