Purchase, NY (Feb. 13, 2018) – With 1:14 left in regulation Tuesday night, Purchase women's basketball head coach Varrell Eddie went to his bench for a substitution.

The Panthers didn't need a reserve. They were well on their way to wrapping up an 88-53 win over Sarah Lawrence on Senior Night in their final home game of the regular season.

But the sub was one more chance to pay homage to three-year player Kayla Ortiz (SR/Brooklyn, NY), once a transfer from DII Concordia College, who has found a home here at Purchase.

Ortiz was subbed out for teammate and friend Nadia Shadi (JR/New York, NY), and received a standing ovation from the crowd and the bench. Her teammates and the coaching staff embraced her during a timeout that followed. 

The playmaking guard has 916 career points, including tonight, where she finished with a game-high 29. Ortiz drilled five 3-pointers, while also hauling in six rebounds and dishing four assists. She added one block and four steals in her final home game.

Ortiz was honored before the game in a ceremony MCed by Sports Information Director Bobby Ciafardini. The program held one large Senior Night bash, honoring the men's team and their seven seniors, the Purchase College Cheerleading team and their four seniors, and Ortiz – the lone senior on the women's squad.

"Kayla has a had a tremendous career at Purchase," said head coach Varrell Eddie in a speech he penned for Ciafardini to deliver to the crowd. "She has grown as a player, a person and as a leader. Since arriving in the winter of 2016, Kayla has scored a ton of points, helped others score a bunch of points and been a leader on the team as we continue on our journey. She accepted and played the role of point guard and did it with success. She will leave a mark on this program that will last forever."

Ortiz received a slew of senior gifts from her teammates and fought back tears during the ceremony, where she was joined by her high school coach, coach Eddie and her teammates (pictured above).

Fueled by the ceremony, Ortiz paced the Panthers. Purchase raced out to a 25-4 lead after one. Although SLC outscored Purchase 23-18 in the second quarter, the Panthers had a large lead at the break and that margin swelled to 20-plus in the second half, where Purchase dominated in the third and fourth quarters.

Amber Jones (JR/Bronx, NY) notched a double-double for Purchase with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Nyasia Harris (JR/South Fallsburg, NY) totaled a game-high 15 rebounds, pairing it with 14 points for a double-double of her own. Amber Yarter (JR/Albany, NY) paced the defensive effort with a game-high seven steals.

SLC was led by Ruth Doberenz and her 16 points in the loss.

Purchase concludes the season this weekend at Yeshiva.