PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College men's basketball team lost its Skyline Conference opener on the road at Purchase.
 
The Basics
Score: Mount Saint Mary College 71, Purchase 95
Records: Mount Saint Mary College (2-6, 0-1 Skyline) | Purchase (3-7, 1-1)
 
Rapid Recap
Mount Saint Mary opened up Skyline Conference play on the road at Purchase College before heading into the break. Justin Rivera, the Knights' leading scorer on the day, got the team going with a quick 5 points out of the gate. Purchase swiftly jumped out to a 15-5 lead, but a couple of threes from Liam Lynch and JP Egan kept the Mount in it. The Knights trailed by as much as 17 in the first half; however, they were able to cut their deficit to just 5 after Justin Rivera and Matthew Walsh combined for three straight makes from beyond the arc to make it 34-29 Panthers. While the three-ball kept Mount Saint Mary in the game, it also hurt them deeply, as the Panthers shot 8-16 from beyond the arc as part of a 50-point first half.

The Mount trailed 50-40 coming out of the half, and they were going to need to tighten up defensively for the remaining 20 minutes of play. Purchase got right back to where they left off in the first half, with 3 of their first 4 makes being threes. The Panthers' offensive firepower overwhelmed the Knights as they tried to battle back. All active members on the Mount bench saw minutes in this one, though probably not in the way they had hoped. Mount Saint Mary would end up losing to Purchase College by the final score of 95-71.

Notes and Numbers        

• Justin Rivera: 15 points
• Brenden Graham: 12 points