Purchase College Athletics

PURCHASE, N.Y. - The Purchase College men's basketball team nearly overcame a double-digit second-half deficit Tuesday evening, but fell just short when its buzzer beater missed the mark in a 48-47 loss to John Jay College.

With the result, the Panthers' four-game winning streak came to a halt, as they now sit at 5-3 on the year. For the Bloodhounds, the win pushed them to 4-6 overall.

Offensive woes plagued the Blue and Orange on the night, as the squad shot just 27.3% from the field and 11.1% from 3-point range. As a result, the hosts trailed for much of the contest.

In the first half, John Jay never led by more than five points, as the low-scoring affair was just four-point game at the break, 22-18.

Once play resumed, the visitors continued to hold the lead. Slowly but surely, it grew until it hit its biggest margin of the game, 11 points, with just 4:51 remaining.

Now trailing by the score of 46-35, the Panthers began to flip the script. A 6-0 run, which was punctuated by a massive dunk from Isaac Johnson (SR/Bronx, NY), trimmed the margin to 46-41 with 3:41 left.

A Bloodhounds' bucket then pushed the advantage back to seven points with just under three to go, as the hosts did all they could to claw their way back.

With less than a minute to play, Raquon Youmans (JR/Brooklyn, NY) converted a four-point play to trim the lead to just three points, 48-45. After a John Jay turnover on the ensuing possession, Youmans scored again, this time a layup, to make it a one-point game.

Purchase then forced the guests into yet another turnover, this one coming with 13 seconds left on the clock. After each side called a timeout and John Jay fouled, five seconds remained for one last chance. 

That chance came in the form of a 3-pointer for the Panthers, but it missed wide-right as the rebound fell to the ground as the horn sounded.

It was a tough result for the hosts, but they showed that they have grit and moxie, which will be useful later in the season.

On the night, three players tied for the team lead with 10 points apiece, as Mahamadou Nimaga (SR/Bronx, NY), Chad Duke (JR/Brooklyn, NY) and Matthew Phillips (JR/Bronx, NY) shared the honor.

Phillips also added eight rebounds, six blocks and two steals. Youmans finished with eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Up next for the Panthers is more non-conference home action, as they host Mitchell College on December 14th at 7 p.m.