PURCHASE, N.Y. - The Purchase College men's basketball team earned an important Skyline Conference victory Sunday afternoon, besting Manhattanville University by the score of 83-77.

With the win, the Panthers are now 12-11 overall and 8-6 in the league. They also officially clinched a birth in the Skyline Conference Playoffs for the first time since 2021-22.

While their seed has not been locked in, the Blue and Orange could be anywhere from the No.5-8 seed depending on how the final two games play out.

For the Valiants, they dropped to 8-15 overall and 4-10 in the Skyline.

For the game, Purchase dominated from early on and never let up. Following the first four minutes, the Panthers led the rest of the day, including a 10-point margin in the first half.

At halftime, the score was 45-40.

In the second half, Manhattanville cut the margin to just two points early on, but Purchase held firm. 

The lead then started to balloon once more for the guests, maxing out at 11 points, before they settled for the six-point victory.

Overall, the Panthers' offense was on fire, as they shot 58.2% from the field and 44.4% from long range.

Rashid Nikiema (JR/Winooski, VT) finished with a team-high 25 points on 64.2% shooting with six rebounds.

Trey Skeete (JR/Brooklyn, NY) added 20 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Tyler Bond (JR/Jamaica, NY) and Matthew Phillips (SR/Bronx, NY) each totaled double-digit points.

Up next for the squad is the home finale and Senior Night, as they welcome Mount Saint Mary College on February 19th at 6 p.m.