RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Purchase College men's basketball team was defeated by the College of Mount Saint Vincent Saturday afternoon, dropping the Skyline Conference matchup by the score of 72-54.

With the result, the Panthers now sit at 7-11 overall and 2-8 in the league. For the Dolphins, they moved to 9-9 and 5-4, respectively.

While the final score was firmly one sided, the contest started with tight action between the two squads.

Over the course of the first half, neither side held a lead bigger than five points until a Dolphins' layup at the first-half horn put the hosts in front by seven, 34-27.

Following the break, Mount Saint Vincent opened with an 8-2 run to push the lead to 42-29 with just under 17 minutes remaining.

The Panthers then responded with a run of their own, outscoring the Dolphins 10-2 over the next five minutes to get within five points, 44-39.

However, that was as close as the guests got the rest of the way, as Mount Saint Vincent answered with a vengeance.

Over the next six minutes, the Panthers were outscored, 19-1, effectively sealing the game.

Overall, neither squad shot the ball particularly well, as the Dolphins outpaced Purchase in field goal percentage, 38.8% to 30.2%.

Individually, Rashid Nikiema (FR/Montpelier, VT) led the way for the Panthers, as he finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Isaac Johnson (JR/Bronx, NY) was the only other player to record double digits for Purchase, as he totaled 11 points.

Up next for the men's basketball team is more Skyline Conference road action, as the Panthers travel to Farmingdale State College on January 31st. That game is set to begin at 8 p.m.