PURCHASE, N.Y. - The Purchase College men's basketball team was defeated in its Skyline Conference opener Sunday afternoon, falling to Yeshiva University by the score of 66-50.

With the result, the Panthers moved to 4-4 overall and 0-1 in the league. For the Macs, they jumped to 4-3 and 1-0, respectively.

In the first half, the Blue and Orange raced out to the early advantage after scoring seven of the first nine points.

The hosts continued to lead until around the 13-minute mark, as Yeshiva gained control for the first time all game, 10-9.

From there, the rest of the frame was all Macs, as the guests outscored Purchase, 26-9, to carry a 36-18 margin into the break.

After halftime, the Panthers emerged from the locker room ready to battle.

Over the first 10 minutes of the frame, they trimmed the margin to just six points twice, but weren't able to tighten it anymore than that.

Yeshiva then bounced back and extended its margin back to double digits as they eventually prevailed by 16 on the day.

Overall, it was a tough offensive outing for the hosts, as they struggled to shooting all game.

Individually, Chad Duke (JR/Brooklyn, NY) finished with a team-high 14 points and two blocks, while Rashid Nikiema (JR/Winooski, VT) added a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Up next for the Blue and Orange is two weeks of rest, before they return to action for a two-day tournament at NYU.

On December 29th at 1 p.m., the Panthers will face the hosts, before battling a new team the day after.