PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Purchase College women's basketball team notched its first home and Skyline Conference victory of the season with a nail-biting 74-72 win over St. Joseph's University-Brooklyn on Saturday afternoon.
With the triumph, the Panthers improved to 2-7 overall and 1-3 in the conference, while the visiting Bears fell to 2-6 overall and 1-4 in the league.
St. Joseph's took the start of the game and held a slim 21-20 advantage after the first quarter, but the Panthers surged ahead with a 22-13 second-quarter run to take a 42-34 lead at the half. The Bears responded in the second half, closing the gap to within two points late in the fourth quarter, but Purchase's composure at the free-throw line sealed the win, 74-72.
Key performances came from Kaylena Steiner (SO/Fresno, CA) who led the Panthers with a team-high 17 points, going 7-8 from the free-throw line, while adding four rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Tvisha Sivaramakrishnan (FY/White Plains, NY) delivered a dominant performance in the post, contributing 16 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Charlee Neb (JR/Longmont, CO) tallied 15 points, including three 3-pointers, and added six rebounds and four assists, while Carlye Graff (SR/South Nyack, NY) chipped in 14 points, highlighted by four 3-pointers, while pulling down seven rebounds. Kendall Larsen (SO/Staten Island, NY) anchored the defense with 10 rebounds and two points.
Purchase shot 57.1% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc, compared to St. Joseph's 35.6% and 29.2%, respectively. The Panthers also dominated the boards with a 43-29 rebounding advantage and capitalized on their free throws, hitting 75%, while the Bears managed 68.4%.
The Blue and Orange are on the road next week, heading to Manhattanville University on December 10th, with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m.
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