Patchogue, NY (Jan. 3, 2019) – Led by junior guard Elijah Lott, the Purchase men's basketball opened the 2019 portion of its schedule with a 77-62 victory at St. Joseph's College (LI) Thursday evening.
 
With the win, Purchase improves its record to .500 (5-5, 3-3 Skyline), while St. Joseph's drops to 2-8 (1-5 Skyline).
 
Lott (East Greenbush, NY) led the way for the Panthers, posting 22 points, six rebounds, five steals and four assists. Jorge Perdomo (SO/Bronx, NY) nearly missed a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing nine boards. Maxx Miller (JR/White Plains, NY) came off the bench for PC and shot a perfect 6-6, totaling 13 points and eight rebounds.
 
SJC was led by Frank Basile and Brad Weiss who scored 17 and 13 points, respectively.
 
The game was tied at 33 at halftime, however Purchase took control in the second half. Senior guard Willie Britton (Queens, NY) started off the scoring, draining a 3 and connecting on a layup to give Purchase a 38-35 lead over the Golden Eagles.
 
The next few minutes would see a lot of back-and-forth scoring between the two teams until a Michael Soffer (SR/Agoura Hills, CA) 3-pointer would increase the Panther lead to 52-46.
 
With under 10 minutes remaining on the clock, Miller would go on a 5-0 run to make it 61-48.  The Purchase defense held their opponent scoreless for the next several minutes, and would eventually go on another 6-0 run to ensure their victory.
 
Purchase is back at home this Saturday, joining the women's program in a Skyline Conference doubleheader against St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn). Game times are set for 12 and 2 p.m.