PURCHASE, N.Y. - After falling behind by 17 points on numerous occasions Tuesday evening, it would have been easy for the Purchase College men's basketball team to just mail it in, and move onto the next game.

Instead, head coach Dan Bozzelli used the halftime break to make major adjustments against Maritime College. And boy, did they work. 

The Panthers responded with a vengeance, both offensively and defensively, as they completely flipped the script in the second period. In the end, the hosts emerged victorious with a crucial Skyline Conference win, 67-64.

While the end of the game favored Purchase, the early portion of the contest was all Maritime.

In the first half, Purchase led just once, by one point, as the Privateers set the tempo early. The action remained close between the two sides until the final five minutes, when the guests began to pull away. 

Maritime proceeded to close out the period with a big-scoring run, pushing the margin to as many as 17 points, before settling for a 14-point lead at the break, 43-29.

Following halftime, the guests continued to maintain the lead, once again extending the advantage to 17 points, 53-36, with 16:35 remaining.

It was at that point though, that Purchase began a rally of its own, thanks to lockdown defense and transition buckets. Over the next five minutes, the hosts used a 16-2 run to cut the deficit to just three points, 55-52.

With just over six minutes to go, the Panthers finally clawed their way all the way back, tying the contest up 59-all. However, despite the efforts of the hosts, they just couldn't edge their way in front, as Maritime continued to either lead or be tied.

The breakthrough moment finally came during the last minute of play, when Rashid Nikiema (SO/Winooski, VT) made a layup with 54 seconds left to give Purchase the advantage, 65-63.

After each side missed a shot, the Privateers had a chance to tie the contest up with a pair of free throws. However, they only made one of two with five seconds to go.

A quick inbounds play allowed Purchase to maintain control of the ball, before a foul from Maritime sent Nikiema to the line. The sophomore calmly nailed the pair to extend the lead to three points, 67-64, with two seconds to go.

Maritime had one final chance to tie the contest but couldn't get a good look as the horn sounded. The Panthers then exploded with cheers as they celebrated the hard-fought win.

On the night, the hosts shot 42.9% overall and 38.9% on 3-pointers, though they performed significantly better in the second half. The Privateers were the exact opposite, shooting 69.5% in the first half and just 26.9% in the second.

Purchase not only held Maritime's scoring in check in the second half, but it also forced double the amount of turnovers during the game (18-9).

Individually, Mahamadou Nimaga (SR/Bronx, NY) scored a team-high 17 points, while adding three assists and three steals for the Panthers.

Nikiema totaled 16 points and seven rebounds, while Matthew Phillips (JR/Bronx, NY) added 13 points and six rebounds. 

With the result, the squad moved to 10-10 overall and 4-7 in conference action. For the Privateers, the loss sent them to 12-8 and 7-4, respectively.

Up next for the Panthers is more home Skyline Conference action, as the squad welcomes Yeshiva University on February 1st at 7:30 p.m.