PURCHASE, N.Y. - The Purchase College men's basketball team outlasted St. Joseph's University-Brooklyn Saturday afternoon, besting the Skyline Conference foe by the score of 75-66.

With the win, which was their fourth in a row, the Panthers moved to 8-7 overall and 4-2 in the league. For the Bears, they dropped to 4-11 and 1-5, respectively.

While the final box score showed seven lead changes on the day, the Blue and Orange felt firmly in control from start to finish.

Overall, they lead for 35+ minutes in the win, as the St. Joseph's biggest margin of the afternoon was just two points.

In the opening half, the Panthers lead by as many as 12 points, but eventually trailed at the break, 34-32.

Following halftime, the hosts quickly regained the lead and held it the rest of the way.

The second frame once again saw Purchase push its margin to 12 points, as they eventually settled for a nine-point victory.

On the day, the Blue and Orange offense performed well, going 44.3% on field goals and 31.6% on 3-pointers. 

While they attempted significantly fewer free throws than the Bears, they were perfect at the charity stripe all game, which was crucial down the stretch to earn the result.

Individually, Rashid Nikiema (JR/Winooski, VT) paced the Panthers to finish with a game-high 26 points, six rebounds and two steals.

Wesley Fulcher (SR/Fishkill, NY) added 12 points in just 18 minutes, while Trey Skeete (JR/Brooklyn, NY) and Gabe Bristow (JR/Poughkeepsie, NY) each totaled 11 points.

Up next for Purchase is a road contest with SUNY Old Westbury, as the squad travels to Long Island on January 21st at 6 p.m.