Newburgh, NY
(Feb. 4, 2017) – The Purchase College men's basketball team got back to its winning ways in Skyline Conference play Saturday.
The Panthers defeated host Mount Saint Mary, 64-60. Purchase, which snapped a three-game conference slide, is now 13-8 overall and 7-5 in league play.
Purchase, who shot 43.6-percent overall, was led by 18 points and seven rebounds from forward
Givvion Jones (JR/Mount Vernon, NY). Swingman
Deshawn Cann (SO/Queens, NY) added 10 points and game-highs with nine rebounds and three assists.
Gerard Nocera led MSMC's scoring attack with 18 points.
After jumping out to a 5-3 lead early, the Knights went nearly eight minutes without a field goal. Nocera hit a triple to give the Knights the 5-3 edge and Jason Jones connected on the team's next field goal, a 3-pointer, with 10:50 left in the first half.
Purchase took advantage and gained a 10-point edge when
Kayvon Reid (SR/Tuckahoe, NY) connected on a pair of free-throws to give the visitors a 15-5 lead with 11:13 left before halftime.
Purchase would lead by as many as 13 points on a
Nikeem Deleon (JR/Bronx, NY) 3-pointer with 91 seconds left before the break before Tyler McDine scored five straight points to bring the Knights to within 33-25 at the intermission.
Purchase shot 48.1-percent from the floor prior to halftime and held the Knights to a 33.3-percent conversion rate.
Jones led all players at the break with nine points for the Panthers on 4-for-6 shooting.
Coming out of halftime, the Knights quickly sliced their deficit to two points following three straight buckets in the first 2:25 of the second stanza.
The score would be tied 43-43 with 11:14 left in regulation.
Purchase answered to move in front 47-43 and jumped in front 51-44 on a Jones second-chance bucket with eight minutes left in the tilt.
The Knights (11-9, 6-6) battled back again to get within 62-60 on a three-point play from Nocera with six seconds left, but two Jones free-throws followed to seal the win for Purchase.
-MSMC Sports Information Contributed to this report