PURCHASE, NY - It's official! The Purchase College men's basketball team is the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Skyline Conference Championships.

The seeding comes courtesy of the 71-55 win Friday evening over Manhattanville College. The Panthers, who are now 16-7 overall, 11-3 in the Skyline and sport a three-game lead over the Valiants of Manhattanville with two games to go, also locked up the North Division with the victory. 

Purchase joined the No. 1 seed, Yeshiva University, as the only two squads to clinch their seed in the Skyline Championships, which begin on February 25th. 

However, before that could happen, the Panthers needed a win against a tough Manhattanville team. 

In the first half, the Panthers jumped ahead early, as they scored eight of the first 10 points. As the half chugged along, Purchase started to build on the advantage, eventually pushing the lead to as many as 14 points (27-13) with 8:16 to go.

It was at that point though, that the Valiants (14-9, 9-5 Sky) started to turn things around. Over the final eight minutes of the half, Manhattanville outscored the hosts, 20-6, and entered the halftime break tied at 33.

The Valiants started the second frame with a two-point jumper to give them their first lead of the night. Fortunately for the Panthers, that was the only time in the entire game that the guests were ahead. 

Purchase responded to the deficit swiftly and fiercely, as the hosts scored seven-straight points over a two-minute span to make it 40-35. From there, Manhattanville never got closer than five points the rest of the way, as the Panthers led by double-digits the final ten minutes of the game.

On the night, Purchase shot 53.6% from the field and 40% from 3-point range. While the offense played well, it was really the smothering nature of the defense that led to the win. The 55-points allowed tied for the best defensive performance of the season for the Panthers, as they limited St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn to the same number back in January. 

The Valiants shot 36.7% overall in the loss and scored just 22 points while shooting 27.3% in the second half. Entering the game, Manhattanville was averaging 71.4 points per game and shooting 43.7% from the field.

Individually, the Purchase starting lineup did nearly all of the damage in the win, as the quintet finished with 69 of the team's 71 points. Jorge Perdomo (JR/Bronx, NY) continued his hot streak with a game-high 24 points, as he went 9-of-13 from the field and 6-10 from long range. 

Elijah Harris (SR/Flushing, NY) added 16 points, six rebounds and four assists, while Maxx Miller (SR/White Plains, NY) chipped in 13 points.

Elijah Lott (SR/Albany, NY) nearly collected a triple-double, as he finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. And Andre Peguero (JR/Boynton Beach, FL) recorded six points and nine rebounds for the Panthers. 

As for Manhattanville, JoJo Cobbs (SR/Elmsford, NY) was the only player to finish in double figures with 12 points. 

Up next for the Panthers is a road contest with United States Merchant Marine Academy. That contest is set for February 18th at 7:30 p.m and you can follow it here.