ALBANY, NY - The Purchase College men's basketball team was defeated at Sage College Tuesday night, falling by the score 77-73 in the team's season opener.
To start the game, the two squads traded baskets over the opening five minutes, before Purchase grabbed the lead and held it for much of the first half. During that run, the Panthers (0-1) lead by as many as eight points on two different occasions, but couldn't quite bury the Gators of Sage (2-0)
Slowly but surely, Sage climbed back into the fray and finally reclaimed the lead for a brief moment, 40-39, with 42 seconds to go. However, a Purchase free throw tied the contest heading into the halftime break. Over the first 20 minutes of action, the Panthers shot just 33% from the field, but offset that mark by going 6-for-12 from three-point range.
The opening minutes of the second half played out nearly identically to the first frame, as the two squads traded baskets and the lead once more. Eventually though, the guests jumped back in front of Sage, leading by as many as six points with just seven minutes to go.
But just like in the first half, the Panthers couldn't put the Gators away. Less than a minute later, Sage tied the contest at 68-68 with 6:35 remaining. From there, the two sides traded points to an eventual 73-73 deadlock with 2:29 to go.
Over the final two and a half minutes, the Panthers' defense played well, allowing just one layup and a pair of free throws. Unfortunately, the Gators' defense played even better and held the Panthers off the scoreboard the rest of the way to secure the 77-73 win.
After shooting the lights out from three-point range in the first half, the Panthers couldn't buy a bucket from long-range in the second. The guests went 0-for-7 from three over the final 20 minutes and shot just 32% from the field for the entire game. Meanwhile, Sage shot 40% from the field and 33% from three.
Throughout the contest, there were seven lead changes, seven tie scores and Sage never held a lead bigger than four points.
Despite never having a significant lead on the night, Sage made up for it by controlling the boards. The hosts outrebounded Purchase, 59-37 overall and 19-12 on offensive boards. The Gators also dominated in the paint offensively, outscoring Purchase, 38-16.
The Panthers were able to offset those totals with 10 more steals than the hosts, which led to a 21-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
Individually, junior
Elijah Lott (Albany, NY) led all scorers with 22 points. He also chipped in seven steals, four rebounds and three assists in the effort.
Jorge Perdomo (JR/Bronx, NY) notched a double-double for the guests, finishing with 19 points on 6-for-10 shooting and 11 rebounds.
Kyle Menard (SO/Paramus, NJ) tallied 10 points and five rebounds in his Purchase debut.
For Sage, four players finished in doubles figures. Anthony Mitchell (JR/Bronx, NY) led the way with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Up next for Purchase is the home opener, as the team welcomes SUNY Cortland this weekend. That game is set for November 15th at 8 p.m. and you can follow it here.
