FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - The Purchase College women's basketball team was defeated at SUNY Old Westbury Sunday afternoon, falling in the Battle of the Panthers by the score of 53-41.

It was a tale of two halves for the teams, as the host Panthers cruised to a huge lead in the first half, before Purchase rallied in the second to make the contest close down the stretch.

While the match initially started as a low-scoring affair over the opening 12 minutes, Old Westbury's offense exploded in the second quarter to the tune of 28 points to seize control.

During that same quarter, Purchase managed just 12 points, resulting in a 21-point deficit at the half, 38-17. 

The visiting Panthers weren't discouraged by the margin though, and came out energized in the second half, particularly on defense.

In the third quarter, Purchase held Old Westbury to just two points the entire frame, all while scoring 10-straight points to trim the margin to 40-27 entering the fourth.

Finally, in the last period of the night, the visitors got the margin back within single digits, following a layup from Miya Ritchie (SR/Harlem, NY) with 3:35 remaining, making it 46-38. 

However, that was as close as the two sides got the rest of the way, as Purchase was outlasted by Old Westbury, 53-41. 

Individually, Ariella Johnson (SO/Brooklyn, NY) continued her breakout campaign for the Panthers with a new career-high of 28 points. Johnson has now scored 23 points or more in three of her last four games.

Meanwhile, Johnson's sister, Ariel Johnson (SO/Brooklyn, NY) grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds, while Ritchie added six points and five rebounds.

With the result, Purchase now sits at 1-15 overall and 1-12 in the Skyline Conference. Meanwhile, the Panthers of Old Westbury improved to 6-8 and 5-7, respectively.

Up next for the Panthers of Purchase is a road game at St. Joseph's College-Long Island on February 1st. That Skyline Conference contest is set to begin at 7 p.m. and you can follow along here.