Box Score

PURCHASE, N.Y. – Despite holding a lead throughout the first half, the Mount Saint Mary College men's basketball team (15-5, 11-2 Skyline) was unable to overcome a strong second half by No. 20 Purchase College (17-1, 11-0 Skyline), suffering a 76-70 Skyline Conference defeat to the Panthers Tuesday evening.

The Knights took a 33-30 lead into the break on the backs of senior guards Donte Howell (Baldwin, N.Y.) and Joe Stabach (Staten Island, N.Y.), who scored 11 and 10 points in the opening frame, respectively. The Knights held tight to a three-point lead in the first few minutes of the second half, but a Creig Graves three tied the game at 40, swinging the momentum in the home team's favor.

A 12-5 stretch in favor of the Panthers gave them a 52-45 lead with 11:06 on the clock. The Knights did not quit against the nationally-ranked Panthers, storming back to take a 59-58 lead with under seven minutes to play. Purchase bounced back by scoring the next seven points to reclaim the lead, eventually leading 70-60 with the Knights beginning to run out of time. Despite making all of their field goals and free throws down the stretch, the Knights were unable to close the gap, falling by six points.

Howell finished the game with 21 points, while Stabach ended up with 19. The two combined to make nine three-pointers on the evening. Senior forward Joe Henain (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) scored 10 points and blocked a pair of shots to improve upon the Mount career blocks record that he set last week.

Joel Neri led the Panthers with 24 points and seven rebounds on the evening. Justin Person added 14 points, while the Skyline's leading scorer, Andre Nixon, was held to just seven points.

The Knights shot 38.6 percent (22-of-57) on the evening, while their hosts made 47.5 percent (28-of-59) of their shots. Purchase's size proved to be a big factor in their win on Tuesday, as they outscored the Knights in the paint, 32-14.

The Knights return to action on Saturday, Feb. 8, when they host the College of Mount Saint Vincent in a Skyline Conference matchup at the Kaplan Center. The Knights picked up a road victory in their last matchup with the Dolphins, taking home a 65-58 win back on Jan. 4. Tip-off for Saturday's tilt is set for 1 p.m.

Follow the Knights on Twitter @MSMCKnights