By Stefan Oliva

Purchase, NY (Jan. 25, 2014) – Win No. 14 for the fourteenth-ranked Purchase College men's basketball team came down to the closing seconds at home Saturday as the Panthers survived a late scare in a 67-63 win over St. Joseph's College-LI.  
 
Leading by two with 30 seconds to go, Purchase got a stop and went to the free-throw line in the final five seconds to close out the win. Guard Andre Nixon (SR/Harlem, NY)hit two crucial free throws to extend the lead to four. The Golden Eagles missed on their final inbound and the Panthers escaped with a four-point margin to improve to 14-0 overall and a perfect 8-0 in the Skyline Conference.  
 
In defeat, the feisty Golden Eagles fall to 4-12 overall and 3-6 in league play.
 
The home team started the game playing team basketball. They swung the ball, playing inside out and yelled out defensive assignments.
 
For the first few minutes, the Golden Eagles looked overwhelmed by their opponent, but they picked up their play later on in the half.
 
Unfortunately for them, the Purchase offense took off after Nixon swooped in for a layup. Two possessions later, Justin Person (JR/Greenburgh, NY) threw down a ferocious dunk in the open court and the crowd erupted. "Ain't Nobody Messin' Wit' My Clique' by Jay-Z then started playing as the Golden Eagles called for a timeout.
 
Joel Neri (JR/Port Chester, NY) slammed down a long awaited dunk in the middle of the second half, but the Eagles' Andy Laurent responded with a score and a foul. His teammate Wade Richardson also provided a spark with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting and plenty of energy. He tried to pump up his team, yelling out, "come on fellas!" after a Panther timeout. He was their on-court coach, encouraging his team to keep at it. "We right there! Let's go!" he bellowed.

http://www.purchasecollegeathletics.com/news/2014/1/25/MBB_0125141520.aspx?path=mbball      

For most of the game, his team had been right in it.
 
The game had been one of runs as the two teams constantly exchanged blows.
 
The free-throw line played a large role in the outcome. Purchase went 18 of 28 from the charity stripe. But when they let up, the Golden Eagles took full advantage. Turnovers were also a deciding factor.
 
With 5:34 left in first half, the Panthers were up 25-23. Head coach Jeff Charney called a full timeout. Momentum started to swing in St. Joseph's favor. The visitors were fired up in their huddle while Purchase was looking to get its swagger back.

SJC-LI's Darryl Charles blocked Neri emphatically, leading to an uncontested layup on the other side. As their offense started to pick up, so did their defense.
 
The Eagles were on an 11-4 run until reserve Jalen LaCourt (FR/Bronx, NY) hit a midrange jumper and drew a charge late in the half.
 
With 1:43 to play, a "Let's go Panthers! Let's go!" chant emerged from the home crowd. The buzz from the gym helped Purchase close out another tough victory.
 
Both teams scored 33 points in the second half, with the four-point margin the first stanza proving to be the difference.
 
Purchase was led by the inside-outside combo of Neri and Nixon. Neri finished with a game-high 22 points. Nixon followed with 21. Neri added 10 rebounds and two blocks in his double-double effort. David Haughton (SR/Greenbugh, NY) was the game-high rebounder with 12. Person contributed six points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals in a nice all-around effort. Ryan Lobban (SR/Bronx, NY) added six points and key reserve Brandon Sillaro (JR/Patchogue, NY) chipped in five off the bench.
 
In the loss, SJC-LI was paced by Darryl Charles, who finished with 18 points. Laurent added 15 in defeat.
 
Purchase has three games next week, starting with a huge road test Monday at Albertus Magnus.