PURCHASE, N.Y. - The Purchase College men's basketball team was defeated for the first time this season Saturday, falling to The City College of New York by the score of 68-54.

With the result, the Panthers dropped to 3-1 overall, while the Beavers moved to 2-2.

To begin, the hosts found themselves in a hole early and never recovered, as the guests scored 10 of the first 12 points.

Over the course of the first half, the Blue and Orange managed to trim the margin to just two points, before settling for a six-point deficit at the break, 30-24.

Following halftime, the guests came out fast and furious to quickly grab a double-digit lead.

They led by that margin much of the half, as Purchase just couldn't find its shooting stroke on the day.

In the end, CCNY prevailed by 14 points, as the Panthers shot just 30.3% from the field and 20.7% on 3-pointers.

Individually, Rashid Nikiema (JR/Winooski, VT) finished with a game-high 20 points, four rebounds and two blocks.

Chad Duke (JR/Brooklyn, NY) was the only other Panther in double figures, as he tallied 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks.

Up next for the Blue and Orange is the first road game of the year, as the squad faces Sage College on December 2nd at 7 p.m.