Purchase, NY (Dec. 6, 2015) – A sizzling start for Yeshiva University men's basketball was too much for Purchase College to overcome Sunday.

The Maccabees posted a 75-59 win at Purchase, utilizing a double-figure lead in the first 10 minutes to create a small cushion going into the break – one that YU was steadily able to build upon, while the Panthers fought the proverbial uphill climb.

Purchase (3-5, 1-2 Skyline Conference) showed its mettle in the loss, whittling the deficit down to single digits at the break and as close as one possession in the second half. The Panthers, which trailed by six at half, pulled within five at 16:31 in the second half on a free throw from Nicholas Jackson (SR/Brooklyn, NY). Jackson would then close the gap to three (30-27) on a layup at 16:15.

But the visitors pushed it back to six on a Michael Berg jumper (33-27, 13:50).

Panther forward Taylor Foster (SR/Greenburgh, NY) helped the hosts get back to seven at 12:33 on a made jumper, but the two teams traded scores, and shortly later, YU nailed a timely 3-pointer to stretch it back to 10 (43-33) at 10:27.

The 3 from Joseph Ammar helped the Macs get their second wind. YU started to run away with the game over the final 10 minutes. Michael Hayon connected on a layup at 7:55 for a 12-point lead.

But Purchase once again rallied. Panther center Joel Neri (SR/Port Chester, NY), the star of the first half, closed the gap to five at 7:19 on a score inside.

However, YU responded with another run of its own. Sharp shooting from the Macs pushed the lead back to 11 at 6:08. Jordan Hood hit two free throws, followed by a 3-pointer at 5:37, to make it 55-41.

The Panthers would fight back to within six points with under three minutes, but the comeback took too much out of Purchase, as the Macs outlasted the Panthers to seal the win and improve to 4-3 overall, including 2-2 in Skyline Conference play.      

YU held a 28-22 advantage at halftime after racing out to a double-digit lead inside the first 10 minutes of play. The Panthers chipped away and cut the deficit back down to six following a 3-pointer by Max Pearce (SO/Tuckahoe, NY) with 16 seconds to go in the half.

In the process, Purchase overcame a 21-8 deficit in the opening period. The game started as an early back-and-forth, with YU taking a 9-6 margin at 15:25, but the Maccabees extended their lead to 17-8 at 10:44 and later 21-8 – the largest first-half lead – at 7:41 behind a Shaje Weiss layup.

The Panthers erased that deficit with plenty of Neri and some timely long-distance shooting.   

Neri paced Purchase in the first 20 minutes, scoring eight points and pulling down eight rebounds over 13 minutes. Berg scored a team-high six, first-half points, while adding three rebounds and one block in 19 minutes for YU.   

Berg finished with a game-high 18 points in the win. He and teammate Shelby Rosenberg led YU. Rosenberg added 17 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Neri finished with a team-high 17 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. Jackson added 16 points and nine boards. 

The Panthers return to their home court this Tuesday as they get set to host Farmingdale State in a Skyline Conference matchup starting at 6 p.m.