THROGGS NECK, N.Y. - The Purchase College men's basketball team suffered a tough loss Saturday afternoon, falling to the Privateers of Maritime College by the score of 55-51.
The Panthers entered the contest needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, but were dealt a tough hand by facing Maritime, who also needed a win to keep pace with Manhattanville and United States Merchant Marine Academy in the race for the division lead.
In the end, the top-ranked Privateers (14-9 overall and 10-4 Skyline Conference) held off the scrappy Panthers (8-15, 3-11) to earn the victory.
The contest was certainly an interesting one, as the action between the two sides was close throughout yet the hosts never trailed over the 40-minute game.
To begin, Maritime scored the first six points and pushed its lead to as many as 11-points in the first half. By the midway break, the margin had been trimmed to just seven points, 28-21.
Once the action resumed in the second period, the Panthers slowly but surely further cut into the deficit until finally tying the contest at 35-all with 13:25 to play.
However, just as quickly as Purchase tied the game, the Privateers answered right back with a 3-pointer to regain the lead for good. Despite their best efforts, the Panthers just couldn't overcome Maritime's edge as they ultimately fell.
The guests struggled offensively throughout, shooting just 30.6% from the field and 15.0% on 3-pointers. Maritime wasn't much better at 36.4% and 33.3%, respectively.
Individually,
Isaac Johnson (JR/Bronx, NY) finished with a game-high 16 points, while
Terrence Mason (JR/Greenburgh, NY) tallied 10 points and eight rebounds.
With the loss, Purchase men's basketball will miss the Skyline Conference Playoffs for the first time since the 2007-08 season, which was its first year in the Skyline Conference.
Despite the lack of postseason implications, the Panthers will look to conclude their campaign on a high-note next week, when they host Sarah Lawrence College for Senior Night on February 14th. That contest is set to begin at 6 p.m. and you can follow along right here.
