Brooklyn, NY---In a battle of reigning conference champions, it was the Purchase College Panthers (4-0) who came back from a 17-point deficit to knock off the home Brooklyn College Bulldogs (2-2), 72-67.

A Darnell Cudjoe (Murry Bergtraum / Brooklyn, NY) jumper gave BC an early 7-6 lead that the Bulldogs would hold onto for most of the contest.  With only seconds to play, a Tyshawn Russell (Holy Cross / Jamaica, NY) turnover led to a three-point play for Purchase's Michael McNair (Nyach / Valley Cottage, NY) with 8 seconds remaining, giving the Panthers their first lead in over 36 minutes of action, 68-67. 

The consequent free throw made the score 69-67.  Brooklyn looked to push the ball, however Purchase guard Justin Walters (Archbishop Stepinac / Tarrytown, NY) picked the pocket of Amil John (South Shore / Brooklyn, NY), and then converted on a three-point play of his own to clinch the victory for the road team.

It was a disheartening loss for Brooklyn as they outplayed Purchase for most of the game.  Consecutive first-half jumpers by Steven Grant (Nazareth / Brooklyn, NY) put BC up by their biggest margin of 17, 35-18 with 6:42 to go in the first half. 

Purchase was able to cut the deficit to 13, 39-26 at the half, but Brooklyn would open the second half on an 8-3 run as Russell capped the spark with two made free throws.  The Panthers made a run of their own to cut the lead to 9, 49-40, behind made three-pointers from Corey Orgias (Monroe-Woodbury / Highland Mills, NY) and McNair.

The Bulldogs would push the lead back to double-figures, until McNair capped off a Panther 9-0 run with two made free throws of his own, cutting the Brooklyn lead to 4, 53-49.

Brooklyn would go on a 10-4 run of their own, as a three-pointer by John ballooned the lead back to 10, 63-53, with 6:51 left to play.  

Some key baskets by Purchase combined with some inconsistent shooting from the charity stripe for the Bulldogs, cut the lead to one, 66-65, with 1:14 left to play.  

Purchase's Marvin Billups (Monroe-Woodbury / Chester, NY) the made a steal, only to turn the ball right back to BC's John, who attacked the basket, drawing the two-shot foul.  John made the first but missed the second, giving his team the 67-65 advantage.  

Purchase missed a three-point attempt but got an offense rebound from center Charles Thompson (Charles Herbert Flowers / Upper Marlboro, MD), who was fouled while trying for the put-back.  Thompson made one of two from the line to cut the deficit back to one, 67-66.  

After a Purchase time out, Brooklyn inbounded to Russell who almost lost the ball on the baseline, but then used his tremendous speed to break free of the defense who tried to foul him from behind.  Russell pushed the ball toward the basket but lost control of the ball, which landed in the hands of Billups who found a wide open McNair for the game-winning basket.

McNair finished the game with 18 points while Billups had a team-high 19.  Orgias recorded the game's only double-double with 12 points and 11 turnovers.  

Russell had a gam-high 23 points while getting to the line 14 times.  John was an efficient 4-5 from the field, scoring 13 points while dishing out 4 assists and nabbing a game-high 8 steals.  

Brooklyn shot 47% from the field for the game, while Purchase could only manage 41%, however Brooklyn was outrebounded 44-32.  

The Bulldogs will look to bounce back in league play as they take on Medgar Evers College a week from tonight.  The game will be the second half of a doubleheader with the women, starting at 8 pm at their borough rival's Crown Heights gymnasium.