PURCHASE, N.Y. - The Purchase College men's basketball team secured a big win over Yeshiva University Thursday night, besting its Skyline Conference rival by the score of 80-73.

With the result, the Panthers moved to 11-10 overall and 5-7 in the league. For the Maccabees, they dropped to 13-8 and 10-2, respectively.

From the moment the contest began, the Blue and Orange seized control and never looked back. Out of 40 minutes of game action, the hosts lead for 39:27, with the Macs grabbing the lead just once for 15 seconds.

No doubt, it was a thorough victory for the Panthers, especially since it came against a foe that had bested them just eight days prior.

On the night, Purchase scored nine of the first 11 points to set the tempo early. That lead continued to grow and grow, eventually capping out at 19 points, 34-15, with just five minutes remaining in the first.

To the Macs' credit, the squad never mailed it in. In fact, quite the opposite as they closed out the first half with an epic run, trimming the margin to just seven points, 36-29.

Following halftime, the hosts continued to maintain the lead before an 11-0 run from Yeshiva, turned a 49-39 deficit into a 50-49 lead.

While the guests did manage to grab the lead momentarily, a 3-pointer from Raquon Youmans (JR/Brooklyn, NY) on the next possession immediately handed the lead back to the Panthers.

From there, the hosts led the rest of the way, pushing the advantage back up to as many as 12 points.

Even while facing another double-digit margin, Yeshiva never quit. During the final minute of play, the guests cut the deficit to just three points twice.

However, there was to be no comeback on the day, as Purchase sealed the game with clutch free-throw shooting, 80-73.

Overall, the Panthers shot 47.4% from the field and 42.1% from long range. For the Macs, they totaled percentages of 44.3% and 37.5%, respectively.

Leading the Purchase effort was Chad Duke (JR/Brooklyn, NY), as he finished with a team-high 19 points.

Rashid Nikiema (SO/Winooski, VT) added 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Youmans tallied 10 points.

Matthew Phillips (JR/Bronx, NY) tallied nine points and seven rebounds in the win. The victory was the Blue and Orange's first against Yeshiva since the 2018-19 season.

Up next for the Panthers is a road matchup with St. Joseph's University-Brooklyn on February 3rd at 3 p.m.