PURCHASE, N.Y. – Despite five players scoring in double-digits, Purchase College was unable to push past visiting Hunter College Tuesday evening, falling 109-105 in non-conference action.
The Panthers (5-6) held a 48-44 halftime advantage which was later erased by the Hawks' eight triples in the first six minutes of the second half. Hunter (2-8) carried the lead for the remainder of the game, despite a late comeback attempt by the home team in the final minutes.
Purchase was led by freshman forward Rashid Nikiema (Montpelier, VT). The standout rookie came off the bench and dropped a career-high 26 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks for his first collegiate double-double performance.
Sophomore center Matthew Phillips (Bronx, NY) poured in 19 points, 13 boards and a career-best seven blocks en route to his sixth double-double of the season.
Senior guard Mark Morgan (Bronx, NY) pulled down seven rebounds and recorded a team-best three steals. Morgan and junior forward Isaac Johnson (Bronx, NY) produced 14 points and five assists each, while junior forward Terrence Mason (Greenburg, NY) netted 12 points, seven boards, five assists and a pair of steals.
Hunter won the opening tip and lit up the board with back-to-back 3's by Ryan Lau and Cormac Reilly, respectively.
A triple and a double from Morgan broke the scoring ice for Purchase and cut the deficit down to one point. Purchase was finally able to hold the reins at 10-9 thanks to the combined scoring efforts of Mason and Nikiema.
The Panther offense continued to ignite with seven unanswered tallies, stretching their advantage eight points—PC's largest lead of the evening.
Hunter answered back with a rally of its own, kick-starting a series of eight lead changes in the first half.
Halftime proved timely for the visitors as the Hawks connected on eight shots from beyond the arc in the opening minutes of the second half. The offensive surge erased a 48-44 deficit and later afforded Hunter its largest lead of the evening, 103-89.
With less than four minutes remaining in regulation, Purchase began to claw back from the 14-point deficit. The Panthers outshot Hunter 14-3 over the next three minutes and with .16 left on the board, Phillips connected on a layup to get PC within two (105-107).
Hunter remained composed, however, as Devon Matthews sealed the win at the line, shooting 2-of-2 in the closing seconds.
For the Hawks, Matthews led with 24 points and nine rebounds, while Luka Jakic recorded a double-double with 18 points and 15 boards. Reilly chipped in with 17 points and a pair of assists. Jeremy Montrose and Ernie Parada rounded off the double-digit scoring with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
Purchase will continue its non-conference slate this Friday at Mitchell College. Tip off is set for 6 p.m.
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