Eagles Fall to Undefeated Purchase on Road

Purchase, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's Golden Eagles (4-12, 3-6 SKY) battled the Purchase Panthers (14-0, 8-0 SKY) until the final buzzer and matched them point-for-point in the second half but the four-point halftime deficit was the difference in the game as the Eagles were defeated, 67-63.

Purchase pulled out to a quick 6-0 lead but the Eagles weren't going to let the Panthers run away with games like they've done so many times this season as three-pointers by Wade Richardson (Copiague, N.Y./Copiague) and Andy Laurent (Amityville, N.Y./Amityville) brought the Eagles right back into the game. SJC led 11-10 when Joel Neri of Purchase took over, scoring eight of his 15 first half points on a 12-2 run to put the Panthers up 22-13. The Eagles once again would fight their way back led by Darryl Charles (Middletown, N.Y./Poughkeepsie) and Julius Jackson (Wyandanch, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East) and regained the lead 27-25. Purchase went on a 5-0 run with one minute remaining in the half to put them up three, but Ryan Reidy (Sayville, N.Y./Connetquot) hit a big three-pointer to tie the game up at 30. The Panthers closed out the half with four unanswered points.

The Purchase Panthers wasted no time extending their half-time lead to 13 just six minutes into the second half but Charles and Laurent hit back-to-back "3s" to cut the deficit down to nine. Laurent rushed down the court on a turnover to hit a layup and draw the foul. His free throw brought his team within six and the defense got another big stop at the other end. Richardson cut the lead down to four, forcing Purchase to call a timeout. The Panthers came out of the timeout energized and pulled away once again, extending their lead to nine with eight minutes remaining but Laurent and Reidy hit shots from "beyond-the-arc" on consecutive possessions to cut the deficit down to three.

The Eagles trailed by four with 2:24 remaining in the game when Nick Gallina (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem North) hit a jumper to bring the Eagles within two. The Panthers stepped up offensively forcing the Eagles to settle for two three-pointers down the stretch. Their final chance came with nine seconds remaining when Laurent put up a three that could have won the game for the Eagles but the ball rimmed out and Purchase pulled down a rebound, forcing the Eagles to foul. The two free-throws put the game away but the Golden Eagles will hold their head high knowing they gave Purchase, who sits on top of the Skyline Conference, their toughest battle of the season and the closest they've come to a loss.

The Eagles were led by Charles who had 18 points and eight rebounds. Laurent also had a stellar game with 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals and Richardson added ten points. The Panthers were led by Joel Neri and Andre Nixon who combined for 43 points and 14 boards.

The Eagles will host Skyline-foe Old Westbury this Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.