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WHEN: Saturday, March 1 - 7 p.m.
WHERE: Purchase College - 735 Anderson Hill Rd. Purchase, NY 10577 (DIRECTIONS)
ADMISSION:
FREE for All Students with Student ID
$5 for General Admission
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG: LIVE STATS LIVE VIDEO (presented by D3hoops.com)

PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College men's basketball team has its first Skyline Conference Championship since 2004-05 in its sights. The Knights stand just one victory away from holding the trophy high above their heads, but they have 19th-ranked and top-seeded Purchase College standing in their way. The two Skyline rivals will face off Saturday, March 1, at 7 p.m. on Purchase's home court.

The Knights defeated Farmingdale State College Thursday evening at the Kaplan Center, 95-75, to advance to the championship game. Purchase held down their home court as well, defeating SUNY College at Old Westbury, 88-73.

Knights head coach Ryan Kadlubowski was named Skyline Men's Basketball Coach of the Year on Friday, as he leads the Knights to their first Skyline Championship final since he took over as head coach in 2009.

Purchase came out victorious in the two previous matchups between the Panthers and the Knights this season. They defeated the Knights at the Kaplan Center back on Jan. 9, 81-66. The Knights played a much better game in their Feb. 4 matchup at Purchase, but the Panthers used a second-half rally to grab a 76-70 victory. Their third faceoff should prove to be the most competitive game between the two teams this season.

The balanced attack that the Knights showed off Thursday night has led the Knights to their 21-5 overall record and the 16-2 record in Skyline play that earned them a quarterfinal-round bye. Senior guard Donte Howell (Baldwin, N.Y.) and senior forward Chris Pisciotta (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) were named to the 2013-14 Skyline Men's Basketball All-Conference First Team on Friday. Howell leads the team with 13.8 points per game, while Pisciotta and senior guard Joe Stabach (Staten Island, N.Y.) are even with 13.4 points per game each.

Stabach ranks first in the Skyline with 76 three-pointers this season and fourth with a .382 three-point percentage. Howell stands in third in the conference with 4.65 assists per game and his 2.24 assist/turnover ratio stands as second in the conference.

Senior forward Joe Henain (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) stands second in the league with 10.7 rebounds per game and first with 7.77 defensive rebounds per game. His three blocks pushed his season total to 69, surpassing the previous program record 68, which Henain set last year. He also scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Knights to victory, improving his season average to 12.2 points per game.

The Panthers have been ranked nationally on the D3hoops.com men's Top 25 poll since the second week of ranking on Dec. 1 and are currently No. 19 on the poll. They enter Saturday's championship game with a 24-2 overall record, dropping a matchup to currently-ranked No. 14 Albertus Magnus College, and losing their final regular season contest at St. Joseph's College (L.I.).

Andre Nixon was named Skyline Men's Basketball Player of the Year on Friday. He and teammate Joel Neri both landed on the All-Skyline First Team. Nixon leads Purchase in scoring (18.2 ppg.) and three-point field goals (70) while adding 39 steals and 5.5 rebounds per contest. He is a four-time Skyline Player of the Week selection this season.

Neri, the Panthers' 7-foot-2 center, is averaging 16.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this season. He averaged 22 points and eight rebounds in the two games against the Knights earlier this season, and was the Panthers most effectively player in both contests. David Houghton leads the Skyline with 11.0 rebounds per game, adding 8.8 points per contest as well.

The Knights have gone 10-2 in road contests this season, while Purchase is a perfect 12-0 on their home court. The Knights enter the tournament on a six-game winning streak, their third streak of five or more games this season. The Knights' only two Skyline losses came at the hands of the Panthers.

Purchase has won three of the last four Skyline titles (2013, 2011, 2010), while the Knights last won the title in 2005.

Saturday's contest will not be one to miss. Mount Saint Mary College Student Activities is offering a free Fan Bus to all students who wish to travel down to Purchase for the 7 p.m. tip-off. The bus will leave for Purchase at 5:15 p.m. Saturday evening from Hudson Hall. All students must bring student ID to have access to the Fan Bus and free admission to the championship game.

Follow the Knights on Twitter at @MSMCKnights