PURCHASE, NY --- (www.YORKATHLETICS.com) York College men's basketball put together a strong second-half showing Tuesday evening, outscoring the Purchase College Panthers (2-4) by six over the final 20 minutes, but the Cardinals were unable to erase an early deficit in a 74–61 non-conference setback from Purchase College Gymnasium.

How it Happened

• Antuan Druden's layup with 14:43 remaining in the first half capped off an 11-3 start for the Panthers.
• A triple from Desmond Ward extended Purchase's lead to 13 (19-6).
• Continuing their offensive spurt, the Panthers' advantage ballooned to a half-high 22 points (30-8) following Ward's layup at the 9:26 mark.
• The margin never got within five possessions the rest of the half, with Gozie Chinegwundoh's triple with 47 seconds left on the clock trimming the deficit to 17 (43-26), the closest York got the rest of the half.
• Purchase ultimately took a 45-27 edge into the locker room. 
• The Panthers netted six consecutive points to push the lead to a game-best 24 points (51-27).
• Charging back, the Cardinals produced an extended 13-2 burst to make it a 53-40 scoreline.
• Malakai Clark's three-point play with 11:30 remaining culminated the surge.
• Responding, three-pointers from Ward and Trey Skeete pushed the margin back up to 18 (61-43).
• York once again showed fight, getting it to a four-possession game (62-50) following Jaidan Johnson's layup at 4:23.
• That would be the closest the Cardinals got, however, as Purchase immediately ripped off a 12-2 run, sealing any possibilities of a comeback. York never quit, though, scoring the game's final nine points in a 74-61 decision. 

Leading the Cardinals

• Joshua Jackman paced the scoring charts with 16 points (2-of-7 3FG, 2-of-3 FT) and added five rebounds.
• Christopher Smith generated 12 points (5-of-11 FG) and a game-leading five steals.
• Jaidan Johnson was the team's final double-digit scorer, chipping in with 10 points (6-of-8 FT).
• Clark impressed in only 11 minutes, dropping an efficient nine points (3-of-5 FG, 3-of-3 FT).
• Defensively, Chinegwundoh (two blocks and three steals), Jonte Wallace (10 rebounds and three steals), and Oke Okrokoto (three blocks) all had their moments.

For Purchase

• Ward spearheaded the Panthers to victory with a game-high 20 points (6-of-10 FG, 2-of-5 3FG, 6-of-7 FT), 16 rebounds, and three blocks.
• Chris Hunter had an all-around stat line of 11 points (5-of-9 FG), six rebounds, and three assists.
• Darden was Purchase's other double-digit scorer, contributing 10 points.
• Skeete (nine points and seven rebounds) and Maurice Western (eight points and four rebounds) had solid games as well.

Inside the Box Score
The Cardinals shot 30.9 percent (21-of-68) from the floor, 30 percent (3-of-10) from downtown, and 59.3 percent (16-of-27) from the charity stripe. On the other hand, Purchase canned 41 percent (25-of-61) of its shots, made eight triples, and shot 67 percent (17-of-25) from the free throw line. They also had the edge in rebounds (50-46) and assists (14-6), while York won the steals category (14-7). Turning defense into offense, the Cardinals scored 21 points off of 25 Panther follies. Purchase, however, took advantage of York's 18 turnovers, creating 26 points.

Up Next 
The Cardinals (0-4) return from the Thanksgiving break for a non-conference road matchup in  Patchogue, New York to take on the St. Joseph's University (L.I) Golden Eagles (0-5) starting at 12 p.m. inside Danzi Athletic Center. 

For the latest news on the Cardinals, log on to www.yorkathletics.com – the official site of York College athletics. Also, become a follower of the Cardinals on Instagram (@yorkcardinals), X (@yorkcardinals) and YouTube (@yorkathletics), and "LIKE" Us on Facebook (York Athletics).