PURCHASE, N.Y. – Junior Patrick O'Gorman scored a game-high 22 points and the Pratt Institute men's basketball team led by as many as 14 points trying to win their second straight, but host SUNY Purchase College used a strong second half to defeat the Cannoneers, 86-80, on Saturday afternoon.
O'Gorman shot 6-of-17 from the field and 8-of-9 from the line to lead three in double-figures for Pratt (5-12), also grabbing seven boards and dishing out six assists. Averaging 22.4 over his last four games, he now inches closer to joining the exclusive 1,000-point scoring club with 970 points.
Sophomore Cameron Hatcher fell one board shy of his third straight double-double, posting 17 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists. Junior Daniel Golub scored a season-high 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting, swiping six steals and grabbing as many boards.
Sebastion Roda chipped in nine points in a reserve role and Aaron Nisbett added eight.
Purchase (6-8) was paced by 20-point double-doubles from Matthew Phillips and Rashid Nikiema. Phillips corralled 18 caroms and Nikiema secured 12.
Neither team could build more than a four-point lead through the first eight minutes of play. With the score tied 13-all, Pratt assembled a 15-5 run to build a double-digit separation, which they maintained for nearly the remainder of the final seven minutes of the half. The black-and-gold led by as many as 14 with 1:32 left before a Purchase 7-1 run to close the half trimmed the Cannoneer lead to 44-36, behind O'Gorman's half-high 16 points.
Pratt built a double-digit cushion early in the second stanza, but the Panthers chipped away at it throughout the half. Pratt saw their lead see-saw from one-possession to three-possession on multiple occasions. Ahead 72-64 with just under seven minutes to play, the Cannoneers clung on to their lead, but were held to just one field goal along with five costly turnovers over the next six minutes that allowed Purchase to open a 16-1 run to take the lead for good.
The Cannoneers outshot the hosts on their home floor 44 percent (27-of-62) to 40 percent (27-of-67) and also forced seven more turnovers (29-22). But Purchase made the most of 12 Pratt miscues in the second stanza with an 18-5 edge in points off turnovers.
Pratt will return to the hardwood on Monday, January 16 and look to bounce back against Medgar Evers College in a road tilt starting at 3 p.m.
