PURCHASE, N.Y. - The Purchase College men's basketball team fell in a close matchup Saturday afternoon, as St. Joseph's University-Long Island edged the Panthers in a Skyline Conference matchup, 68-60.

With the result, Purchase dropped to 7-9 overall and 2-6 in the league. For the Golden Eagles of St. Joseph's, they improved to 9-7 and 6-2, respectively.

To begin, the hosts looked unbeatable, embarking on a 7-0 run to start the game. In fact, it took the guests nearly five minutes to get on the scoreboard, but once they did, the game quickly evened out.

After the Golden Eagles tied the contest at 7-7, neither side lead by more than five points over the remainder of the half. During the frame, the lead changed eight times, before ultimately settling at 30-29 with St. Joseph's in front at halftime.

Following the break, the tight action continued between the two foes.

Over the first 15 minutes of the second half, Purchase and St. Joseph's played a near mirror image of the first frame, as neither side held a lead bigger than five points during the span.

It wasn't until the game clock ticked under four minutes to go that the Golden Eagles separated from the Panthers, as they used a 10-0 scoring run to pace Purchase, 65-54, with just over two minutes to go.

While the hosts did manage to cut the margin to just five points with 27 seconds to play, St. Joseph's ultimately held out for the win.

Overall, the Panthers struggled offensively in the loss, shooting 30.9% from the field, 20.7% on 3-pointers and committing 16 turnovers. 

Individually, Matthew Phillips (SO/Bronx, NY) continued his breakout campaign, leading the squad in points (17), rebounds (14) and blocks (3). 

Kamar Thomas (JR/Elizabeth, NJ) also recorded double figures, finishing with 15 points. 

Up next for the Panthers is their first road game in 18 days, as the team travels to St. Joseph's University-Brooklyn on January 25th. That contest is set to begin at 7 p.m. and you can follow along right here.