Newburgh, NY (Nov. 29, 2017) – Brian Berrios saved his best for last.

The Panther guard delivered victory Tuesday night at Mount Saint Mary College as time expired in regulation. His 3-pointer just across midcourt banked in, sending Purchase to a thrilling 69-66 win at the horn.

The Mount rallied from a pair of 15-point deficits in the second half to take a late lead, but was sunk by Berrios (SR/New York, NY). Kendall Francis made his season debut for the host Knights and poured in a career-high 17 points.

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MSMC never held the advantage in the game until a pair of Francis free throws pushed them in front 62-61 with 2:28 left in regulation time.

After Purchase regained the lead twice, the Mount would get even, but after a missed 3 with five seconds left, Berrios worked his way across midcourt out of a timeout and banked the game-winning shot.

Purchase built a lead as large as 15 points twice in the middle stages of the second half. The Mount battled back with a 22-6 run covering just over eight minutes to surge in front.

The Knights went 7 of 8 from the floor over the run, including a pair of 3s, and saw Purchase go 2-for-5 from the floor during that stretch. Francis led the charge with seven points.

The visitors built their lead with a 30-17 stretch over the opening 10:20 of the half, with Deshawn Cann (JR/Queens, NY) leading the effort with eight points.

Purchase hit three triples over the opening run and added a 9-for-12 stretch from the charity stripe.

Purchase shot the ball well during the second half and followed up a 45.5-percent first-half performance with a 56.5-percent showing after halftime. The Panthers knocked in four triples in the second frame, but misfired on 13 free throws after halftime to allow the Knights to creep back into the contest.

The Panthers received 17 points from both Berrios and Cann and got a game-high 11 rebounds along with seven points from Tarik Allicock (SR/Brooklyn, NY). Berrios canned a pair of 3s, while Cann led all players with six assists in the game. Nikeem Deleon (SR/Bronx, NY) and Rob Grullon (JR/Wallkill, NY) added seven points apiece. 

Mount Saint Mary finished the night shooting 44.2-percent overall.

Purchase is back in action Thursday in the "Battle of Anderson Hill Road" at neighboring rival Manhattanville. The Panthers will then return to campus Saturday for their home opener against Skyline opponent, Sarah Lawrence College.

-MSMC Sports Information Contributed to this report