BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The Purchase College men's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker Wednesday night, falling at St. Joseph's University-Brooklyn by the score of 77-75.

In a game that saw 12 lead changes and 10 tie scores throughout, it was fitting that it came down to the final possession.

With eight seconds remaining, the hosts made the first of two free throws, pushing the score to 77-75.

The Bears then proceeded to miss the second chance, which allowed to Purchase to grab the rebound and charge down the court to make a final attempt.

Not only did the guests make a final attempt, but the high pick and roll of Wesley Fulcher (SO/Fishkill, NY) and Rashid Nikiema (FR/Montpellier, VT) nearly worked to perfection, setting up the latter with a makable shot as time expired.

Unfortunately, Nikiema's 3-pointer was a tad too strong and clanged out much to the chagrin of the Panthers. 

Still, even with the loss, Purchase displayed one of its best efforts of the season, shooting 40.6% from the field and 45.5% on 3's.

Ultimately, missed free throws (10 in all), and turnovers sunk the squad on the night.

In the first half, the guests led the charge and pushed ahead by as many as nine points, before settling for a 35-33 margin at the break.

Once the action resumed, the two sides remained tight until the final six minutes, when St. Joseph's started to pull away. 

During the first four minutes of that stretch, Purchase scored just two points, as the Bears flipped a 64-63 deficit into a 74-66 lead.

From there, Purchase rallied and trimmed the eight-point deficit to just a single point, 74-73, with 33 seconds left. Unfortunately, the comeback attempt fell just short as clutch free throws by the hosts held Purchase off.

Individually, the Panthers had three score double digits on the night, as Kamar Thomas (JR/Elizabeth, NJ) led with 20 points. Nikiema added 19 points, while Fulcher chipped in a career-high 13 points.

With the result, Purchase now sits at 7-10 overall and 2-7 in Skyline Conference games. For the Bears, they improved to 5-13 and 2-7, respectively.

Up next for the Panthers is more Skyline road action, as the team faces Mount Saint Vincent on January 28th at noon.