PURCHASE, N.Y. - After trailing by as many as 22 points, the Purchase College men's basketball team nearly completed an epic rally Tuesday evening, before ultimately falling to Sarah Lawrence College on Senior Night, 70-63.

Before the night officially tipped-off, the Panthers took a few moments to say farewell to a trio of seniors involved with the program - Mark Morgan and James Brady, as well as team manager Karina Medina.

The trio celebrated at mid-court with coaches and teammates before the final home game of their careers. While the team didn't come away with a win in its final effort, the Panthers still put on a show for the crowd.

To begin, Purchase jumped in front first, scoring the opening five points of the night. However, the guests quickly responded with a run of their own to the tune of 10-0, flipping the contest in their favor as they were off to the races. 

From there, the Gryphons continued to build their lead until it hit its biggest mark of the first half, 14 points, 38-24 at halftime. 

Once the action resumed, Purchase struggled to respond as it fell behind by 22 points on three separate occasions in the second half.

Despite the sizable margin, the Panthers never quit. With the score favoring the guests, 58-36 with 12:37 remaining, the hosts responded with a furious comeback attempt over the ensuing 10 minutes to trim the 22-point hole to just six points, 67-61, with 1:47 left in the game.

Sadly, the Panthers just ran out of time during the rally attempt, but left the court with their heads held high as they made the Gryphons truly earn the victory in the end.

Individually, Isaac Johnson (JR/Bronx, NY) continued his late-season breakout, as he finished with a game-high 27 points and 10 rebounds. The 27 points also marked the third time in five games that Johnson recorded a new career-high point total.

Other top performers on the night for Purchase included: Terrence Mason (JR/Greenburgh, NY) with 11 points and six rebounds, and Wesley Fulcher (SO/Fishkill, NY) with 10 points and six rebounds.

For the Purchase seniors: Morgan (Bronx, NY) tallied four points over 21 minutes of action, while Brady (Yonkers, NY) was unable to suit up due to injury.

With the result, the Panthers moved to 8-16 overall and 3-12 in Skyline Conference games. For the Gryphons, they now sit at 7-17 and 5-10, respectively, as they attempt a postseason run.

Up next for the men's basketball team is the season finale, as Purchase travels down the road to face Manhattanville College on February 18th. That game is set to begin at 2 p.m.