NEWBURGH, N.Y. – For a moment, it seemed like the Panthers were cooking up another last-minute magic act to steal a Skyline victory at Mount Saint Mary College Wednesday night.
With seconds remaining on the clock, junior forward Isaac Johnson (Bronx, NY) connected in the paint and again at the free throw line to put Purchase within two points of the hosts, but a pair of free throws made by Justin Rivera kept the comeback at bay and sealed Mount's 62-58 victory.
In the process, the Knights improved to 8-14 overall and 5-8 in the Skyline. Purchase dropped to 8-14 overall and 3-10 in league play.
Scoring opened on a Jalen Bartley (JR/Tarrytown, NY) jumper off a pass from Terrence Mason (JR//Greenburgh, NY). The lead tilted again in Purchase's favor (5-3) following a three from sophomore forward Elijah Holmes (Brooklyn, NY).
The Mount responded with a 16-7 run over the next several minutes to lead 19-12 at the 9:03 mark.
Purchase capped its first-half scoring with a jumper from freshman forward Josiah Nelson (Deer Park, NY). At the break, the Panthers trailed the Knights, 27-22.
The second half saw the two teams continue to go back-and-forth, with five lead changes and three tie scores over the final 15 minutes.
Trailing 33-32 with 14:05 to play, Holmes and Wesley Fulcher (SO/Fishkill, NY) sparked a run for Purchase with back-to-back threes. Johnson added another two points in the paint to open up the Panthers' largest lead of the game, 40-35.
Firing back, the MSMC offense erupted with seven unanswered points to jump back in front, 40-42. The Knights continued to control the game, capitalizing on 8-of-9 trips to the charity stripe, while holding Purchase to just 14 percent (1-7) shooting from the field over the final minutes of play.
Two Knights finished the game in double figures, led by Connor Cyran with 17 points. Jayden Figueroa recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Holmes netted a team-best 16 points to lead Purchase. Johnson was next in line with nine points, while Bartley paced the defense with a team-high eight boards.
Purchase will return to action Saturday with a Skyline road game against Maritime College. Tip off inside Riesenberg Gymnasium is slated for 1 p.m.
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