Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Men's Basketball team rallied from a pair of 15 point deficits in the second half to take a late lead, but was edged on a Brian Berrios three-pointer at the horn in a 69-66 conference loss to Purchase. Sophomore Kendall Francis (Great Neck, N.Y.) made his season debut and poured in a career-high 17 points for the Knights.
 
The Mount never held the advantage in the game until a pair of Francis free-throws pushed it in front 62-61 with 2:28 left in regulation time. After Purchase regained the lead twice, the Mount would get even closing minutes, but after a missed three-pointer with five seconds left, Berrios worked his way across midcourt out of a timeout and banked home the game winner at the horn.
 
Purchase built a lead as large as 15 points twice in the middle stages of the second half, but the Mount rallied with a 22-6 run covering just over eight minutes to surge in front. The Knights went 7-for-8 from the floor over the run, including a pair of three-pointers, and saw Purchase go 2-for-5 from the floor and just 2-for-8 from the free-throw line. Francis led the charge with seven points, with Tyler McDine (Suffern, N.Y.) adding six.
 
The visitors built their lead with a 30-17 stretch over the opening 10:20 of the half with Deshawn Cann leading the charge with eight points. Purchase hit three triples over the opening run and added a 9-for-12 effort from the free-throw line.
 
After shooting 35.7-percent in the first half on Tuesday, the Mount responded with a 54.2-percent effort in the second frame to close the gap and take the lead. The Knights knocked in three of their four triples in the game during the second half and knocked in 14 of their 20 free-throw attempts.
 
Purchase also shot the ball well during the second half and followed up a 45.5-percent first half performance with a 56.5-percent showing after halftime. The Panthers knocked in four triples in the second frame, but misfired on 13 free-throws after halftime to allow the Knights to creep back into the contest.
 
Francis led three players in double-figures for the Knights with a career-high point total on 5-for-11 shooting from the field and a 6-for-8 effort from the free-throw line. Daniel Wolff (Holtsville, N.Y.) finished up with 14 points and five rebounds, while McDine registered 12 points and a team-high three assists.
 
Purchase received 17 points from both Berrios and Cann in the contest and got a game-high 11 rebounds along with seven points from Tarik Allicock. Berrios canned a pair of triples, including the game winner, while Cann led all players with six assists in the game.
 
Mount Saint Mary finished the night shooting 44.2-percent overall and went 4-for-15 from behind the arc. The Knights finished 16-for2-22 from the free-throw line and held a 34-28 edge in points in the paint. Purchase converted at 51.1-percent, hitting six triples, but went only 17-for-33 from the free-throw line.
 
At 0-3 overall on the season and 0-1 in conference play, Mount Saint Mary returns to action on Thursday when it plays host to league rival Yeshiva. Tip-off with the Maccabees is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.