Patchogue, NY (Jan. 27, 2018) – Despite an impressive effort by a trio of Panthers, the Purchase College women's basketball team fell to St. Joseph's College (LI).

Senior guard Kayla Ortiz (Brooklyn, NY) led the pack with 25 pints (9-17), including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and a team-best four assists.

Junior guard Amber Jones (Bronx, NY) added 18 points and junior center Nyasia Harris (South Fallsburg, NY) recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and 15 boards.

St. Joe's broke a 6-6-stalemate midway through the opening frame with five unanswered points to take their largest lead of the afternoon, 11-6. 

The Panthers regained the lead, 14-13, with just over two minutes left on the clock before closing out the quarter leading 17-15.

The Panthers erupted for eleven points to open the second quarter building their largest advantage of the game, 28-17. 

Free throws by St. Joseph's Juliana Cintron-Leonardo and Andrea Iavarone closed the gap to just six points, 28-22, but PC's Jones closed the half with a bucket from the outside sending the visitors into the break ahead 37-28.

Iavarone's 16 points led St. Joseph's in the third quarter outscoring the entire Purchase team bringing the Golden Eagles to within two, 49-47, heading into the final period.

Alicia Indence found Cintron-Leonardo down low for a game-tying lay-up, 53-53, with 7:44 left in the game.  After falling behind 64-57, the Golden Eagles went on an 8-0 run capped by back-to-back triples from Indence to go ahead 65-64 with just under three minutes to play. 

A field goal and a couple free throws saw the Panthers to a 68-65 advantage, but Gubell's jumper and Indence's third bucket from long range in the quarter put SJC up 70-68 with 28 seconds on the clock. 

Following a Purchase timeout, Ortiz sank a three off the inbound putting the visitors ahead 71-70, but key free throws in the final seconds from Indence and Gubell iced the 74-71 victory.

The Panthers shot 42 percent for the game and held SJC to 31.6 percent, but the host Golden Eagles had a leg up on the boards, outrebounding the Panthers 57-40. SJC also converted 26 second-chance points. 

The Golden Eagles improve to 6-10 on the season (3-6 Skyline) and the Panthers slip to 6-10 overall and 4-8 in conference play.

The Panthers are back home this Tuesday to take on Skyline foe SUNY Old Westbury. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.

-SJC-LI Sports Information contributed to this article