Riverdale, NY
(Jan. 17, 2019) – Five different players reached double-digit point totals en route to an 83-80 victory over the College of Mount Saint Vincent Thursday evening at the Peter Jay Sharp Center.
With the win, the Panthers boost their overall record to 8-7 while improving their Skyline Conference record to 6-5. The Dolphins drop to 5-11 overall and 4-7 in the league.
Purchase's
Willie Britton (SR/Queens, NY) led the attack with 17 points. The veteran guard came within one rebound (9 total) of a double-double night.
Jorge Perdomo (SO/Bronx, NY) and
Michael Soffer (SR/Agoura Hills, CA) each contributed 15 points, while
Elijah Lott (JR/East Greenbush, NY) and
Maxx Miller (JR/White Plains, NY) chipped in another 11 points apiece.
Purchase trailed the host Dolphins in the opening 20 minutes of action. Makai Johnson connected on a three-pointer to stretch CMSV's lead to 10 with 14:09 left in the half.
The Mount continued to heat up, leading by as many as 19 points (45-26). Purchase rallied with 10 unanswered points to close the first half. Despite their effort, the Panthers still trailed CMSV, 45-36, at the break.
The contest flipped in the second half, as the Dolphins struggled on both ends of the court. The biggest discrepancy came at the free throw line, where the Panthers converted 81% of their attempts while CMSV missed five crucial shots from the charity stripe.
Purchase slowly chipped away at the Dolphin advantage to open the half. With 11:39 to go, the Panthers took back the lead (59-58) on a Britton layup. The score would tie five more times before Purchase took its final lead (80-77) on a Lott layup. Soffer and Perdomo connected a combined three free throws in the final seconds to secure the 83-80 victory.
Britton put up 12 points for Purchase in the second half and tied Lott with five boards. Lott recorded an impressive four steals in 12 minutes, while Soffer and Miller combined for another 19 PC points.
The Panthers are back at home this weekend to take on the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Tip-off is Saturday at 2 p.m.