BRONXVILLE, N.Y. - With a chance to seal its place in the Skyline Conference Playoffs, the Purchase College men's basketball team came up just short at Sarah Lawrence College Wednesday night, 60-56.
Entering the contest, the Panthers needed just one win over their final two games to seal a spot in the postseason tourney.
That moment will have to wait until this weekend now, as the Blue and Orange still control their destiny heading into the regular-season finale at Mount Saint Mary College on February 17th.
With the result, Purchase dropped to 13-11 overall and 7-8 in Skyline games. For the Gryphons, they moved to 13-11 and 10-5, respectively.
Despite the close final score, the contest was rather one sided in terms of time ahead. On the night, the Panthers held the lead just once for a total of :25 seconds, as it came early in the first half with the score, 4-3.
Even with that being the case, the guests remained in the fight all night long. In the opening half, Purchase trailed by as many as 11 points, before trimming the margin to just five points at halftime, 27-22, in the low-scoring frame.
Following the break, the Panthers continued to hold the deficit to single digits, until the final five minutes of action, when the hosts extended their margin back to 11 points.
However, the Blue and Orange responded with a vengeance over the next four minutes, outscoring the hosts 10-0 to change a 57-46 lead to 57-56 with :30 seconds to go.
In the end though, Sarah Lawrence stood tall on defense and at the foul line to seal the victory, 60-56.
For the game, the Panthers shot 37.1% overall and 26.3% on 3-pointers. For the Gryphons, they totaled 35.1% and 30.4%, respectively.
Rashid Nikiema (SO/Winooksi, VT) continued his hot streak to lead the Panthers in scoring with 17 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds and had a block in the effort.
Matthew Phillips (JR/Bronx, NY) added 12 points and six rebounds, while
Mahamadou Nimaga (SR/Bronx, NY) and
Chad Duke (JR/Brooklyn, NY) each tallied eight points apiece.
Up next for the Panthers is the aforementioned regular-season finale, as the squad travels to Mount Saint Mary College on February 17th at 2 p.m.
With a win, Purchase clinches a playoff birth, though it can still qualify with a loss depending on other results.
