Purchase, NY (Feb. 22, 2018) – The Purchase College men's basketball team certainly knows how to protect the home court.

And now, they'll have to do it one more time to be dancing come March.

No. 2-seeded Purchase stayed undefeated at home Thursday night, reeling off its 12th straight win on campus in knocking off three-seeded the College of Mount Saint Vincent in the Skyline Conference Men's Basketball Championship Semifinal, 70-63.

The win advances the Panthers to Sunday's Skyline Conference Championship game against No. 4 Yeshiva, which upended top-seeded Farmingdale State on the road, 77-75, in overtime. With YU defeating the Rams, the Panthers will host the Macabees Sunday at 1 p.m.

Thursday night's victory wasn't an easy one, but Purchase led early and maintained the lead for most of the evening on its way to the championship game. The winner of Sunday's final will advance to the NCAA Tournament the first weekend in March.

The Panthers not only advanced to the championship, but also saw one their finest reach a milestone in tonight's final. Nikeem Deleon (SR/Bronx, NY) eclipsed the 1,000-point marker and now has 1,007 for his career. He scored 18 points in the win, matching teammate Deshawn Cann (JR/Queens, NY) in the team and game high. CMSV's Ammad Alkhulaidi also scored 18 points.

It was 4-4 through first three minutes of the game, when Panther head coach Kyle Martin called a timeout to settle his group.

Purchase responded by taking a 9-8 lead through the first five minutes of action.

CMSV took the lead back on a Jose Maestre score, 10-9.

But Deleon helped Purchase retake the lead on a driving layup.

The back-and-forth play continued.

Panther 6th Man Brian Berrios (SR/New York, NY) made it 13-12 on basket under 13 minutes.

A Deleon hoop extended that lead to 15-12.

Purchase center Tarik Allicock (SR/Brooklyn, NY) broke a three-minute scoring drought for both teams before CMSV answered with a hoop of its own.

The resilient Dolphins scored on back-to-back possessions to get back within one, 17-16.

Alkhulaidi tied the game at 17-17 on a conventional three-point play at the 10-minute marker of the first half.

A 3-pointer by the visitors followed and made it 20-17 with nine minutes to go before intermission. The Dolphins extended that lead to 22-17 on free throws by Jason Barrera.

The Panthers regrouped behind Deleon. He scored off an assist from Allicock to cut the deficit to 22-19.

Then Allicock scored to trim the Dolphin lead to one with seven-plus minutes remaining in the half.

At 6:49, Deleon seized the lead back on a three-point play. He added the free throw after the hoop to make it 24-22.

Sharp-shooting Panther Michael Soffer (JR/Agoura Hills, CA) nailed a 3 to push the lead to 27-22 under six minutes.

Cann sprinted on a fast break and increased that margin to 29-22. His score prompted a timeout for the visitors with 5:35 remaining.

Cann nearly duplicated the play on the next possession out of the T.O., running the length of the floor, taking the contact, scoring, and this time drawing the foul. Although he would miss the free throw, Purchase now led 31-22. 

That lead ballooned to 38-22. 

The Dolphins scored five straight to get back in the game, 38-27.

Allicock snapped the spurt with a hoop, but the dolphins answered right back to draw within 11, 40-29.

CMSV scored the final hoop of the half and trailed 40-31 at the break.

Purchase outscored CMSV, 6-5, through the first three-plus minutes of the second half to lead 46-36.

A Soffer runner in the lane made it 48-40.

The Dolphins continued to battle and cut it to six with 14-plus remaining. Another CMSV hoop made it 48-44.  

However, a Soffer 3 ended a cold spell for Purchase and bumped the lead to 51-44.

With 10 minutes to go, the hosts led 53-47 on a Kaliph Grant (SR/Bronx, NY) runner off the backboard. 

Not to be outdone, another spurt for the Dolphins cut the deficit to two, 53-51. CMSV scored four straight points in the process.

The Dolphins then tied it at 53 with 6:48 on a Raiquis Harris score.

Purchase pushed back. A Cann jumper made it 56-53. Then a 3 by Deleon under five minutes made it 59-53.

Deleon stayed hot and made it 62-55 on another score. 

Alkhulaidi cut it to 62-57 on a basket for the visitors. A made free throw by the Dolphins trimmed it to 62-58 under two minutes.

The two teams traded baskets on the next ensuing possessions, but Soffer found Cann for a 66-60 lead in the closing minutes that provided a little cushion. 

A 3-pointer by Andrew Curiel kept the Dolphin comeback alive. The Curiel 3 made it 66-63 in favor of Purchase with under a minute to go.

But two Soffer free throws bumped the lead back, 68-63, and Cann was fouled with seven tenths left. He too made both from the charity stripe for a seven-point lead, as the Panthers sealed the semifinal victory.

NOTES: A large crowd came out in support of both teams as Purchase hosted "White Out Night" … Panther women's basketball standout Nyasia Harris sang the National Anthem and received a strong ovation … Deleon joined teammate Berrios in the 1,000-point club this season … Purchase and YU split the season series, with the Panthers defeating the Macs at home and YU taking its home game in the final regular-season matchup of the winter for both teams … News 12 Westchester came out to cover the semifinal game. Coverage will be shown tonight on News 12.