PURCHASE, NY - The Purchase College men's basketball team pulled off its most impressive win of the 2019-20 season Saturday afternoon, as the Panthers rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit to top Mount Saint Vincent, 86-84, on a buzzer-beater from Elijah Lott.

With four seconds remaining in the contest, Lott (SR/Albany, NY) collected the ball from an inbound, dribbled to his right, pulled up from just inside the 3-point arc and nailed an off-balance jumper as time expired to send the hosts to their 11th win of the season.

He was mobbed on the court by his teammates and fans as the Dolphins of Mount Saint Vincent were left stunned by the result. Earlier in the afternoon, the Dolphins (5-11 overall, 2-5 Skyline) led by 16-points heading into the halftime break, 54-38.

But once the second half began, the Panthers (11-5, 6-1 Sky) were reborn.

Just 90 seconds into the second frame, Purchase had outscored the guests 8-0 to cut the deficit in half. Over the next eight minutes though, the Dolphins regained their first-half form and held Purchase at bay, maintaining an advantage of 7 to 11 points throughout the stretch.

It wasn't until the half neared its midway point that the hosts were finally able to claw their way back into the fight once more. Slowly but surely, the deficit shrunk. Nine points. Then seven, Then five. Then three. Then two.

Finally, with 6:36 remaining in the game, a 3-pointer from Jorden Means (FR/New York, NY) put the hosts back in front, 69-68. From then on, Purchase led the rest of the way, as Mount Saint Vincent kept things close the entire time.

As the contest entered its final minute of play, the Panthers were up 84-81.

With 37 seconds remaining, the Panthers had the chance to bolster their lead as Lott was fouled going to the rim. However, he missed the two ensuing free throws and was visibly upset after the second miss, knowing he could have given his team a two-possession lead. 

The misses hurt even more when Makai Johnson (JR/Queens, NY) came back down the court and drilled a 3-pointer to tie the game at 84-all with 24 seconds to go. 

During the following Purchase possession, head coach Kyle Martin elected not to take a timeout as he trusted his guys in the moment. On the other side of the court, Mount Saint Vincent's head coach, James Mooney, was yelling to his guys to foul as the clock ticked down so that Purchase would have to run a set play.

With four seconds on the clock, the Dolphins did just that and fouled Lott before he could go toward the basket.

Martin responded by using a timeout to give his guys a moment to relax and draw up a play. That turned out to be the right move.

Coming out of the timeout, Lott caught the ball just outside the 3-point arc, where senior Maxx Miller (White Plains, NY) was waiting with a perfect pick to get Lott's much taller defender out of the picture.

As a result, Makai Johnson had to switch off Miller to Lott, which worked to Lott's advantage as he stands 6'3" to Johnson's 5'8". The height difference, mixed with the space created via the pick (not mention some "magic" from Lott) gave the Panthers the winner they needed and Lott the redemption he was hoping for.

With the basket and victory in hand, Coach Martin and the team were able to breathe a sigh of relief, as the squad still stands atop the Skyline Conference North Division one game ahead of Manhattanville College. 

For the day, Purchase shot 49.3% overall and 55.3% in the second half. Meanwhile, Mount Saint Vincent finished 47.9% from the field overall. Per usual, Purchase enjoyed scoring advantages in the paint (52-44) and on fast-break points (19-12) thanks to their transition-style offense. The hosts also won the rebounding battle, 45-37.

Individually, Miller arguably had his best game of the season to lead the Panthers, as he finished with a game-high 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting. He also secured a game-high 13 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals. 

Jorge Perdomo (JR/Bronx, NY) also shined in the win, as he tallied 20 points and went 8-for-8 on two-point shots. Meanwhile, Lott finished with 16 points and Means chipped in 11 points.

As for Mount Saint Vincent, five players finished in double figures. Vinny Tavella (JR/Staten Island, NY) led the squad with 19 points and converted six 3-pointers in the effort. 

Up next for the men's basketball team is another tough Skyline Conference matchup, Farmingdale State College. The Panthers will host the Rams on January 28th at 6 p.m. and you can follow it here.