Riverdale, NY - The College of Mount Saint Vincent's men's basketball team played in their second consecutive impressive contest against Skyline Conference competition, but unlike the result against St. Joseph's University Brooklyn, the Dolphins didn't have the same result on Saturday. James Mooney's team had four different players score in double figures, but a last second layup pushed Purchase College passed the Dolphins on the Sharp Center floor by the score of 71-67. The loss put CMSV at 1-2 against the Skyline in the early portion of their conference schedule. 

The Dolphins began the game in an early 8-2 hole, but a Mooney timeout helped the Dolphins recalibrate and climb back into the game. Despite being undersized by a big Panthers squad, the Dolphins used the three ball to their advantage, knocking down 50% of their attempts in the first half. Senior Adrian Rraci was specifically a boon to the team's offense, as he poured in 13 points while going three-of-six from beyond the arc. Both he and senior standout Joshua Cabezudo 11 straight points beginning at the 10 minute mark, a four minute run that tied the game at 24.

Freshman Connor Wein, on the heels of a 20 point outing against the Bears, gave his team their first lead since the early minutes of the first with a three ball and followed it up with a layup in the ensuing possession. The two sides would trade leads, and the Dolphins would go into the break down by a pair of points. A big reason behind the close score was CMSV's second chance efforts, scoring 11 points off four combined offensive boards from Cabezudo and Wein. 

The duo of Rraci and Cabezudo continued their strong play into the second half. Rraci converted his first three point attempt of the half to make it a one point game, with Cabezudo bringing the score to 39-38 in favor of the Dolphins after getting to the charity stripe. 

The teams would trade leads, with Purchase eventually getting the better of CMSV, resulting in an 11 point lead with just over 11 minutes to go. It was at this point when the Dolphins would chip away, thanks in large part to the five of Rraci, Cabezudo, Wein, along with freshmen Louis Vidal - who earned his first career collegiate start - and Alex Chi. 

Chi would get things going on both ends of the floor to turn the tide in favor of the Dolphins. The first year player from Staten Island, New York knocked down a three of his own before creating a turnover, swiping a steal and scoring a fast break layup within seconds to make it a four point game. Wein, Chi and Rraci would combine for seven points over the next three possessions, bringing the score to 63-62 in favor of the Panthers. After forcing a turnover on the defensive end, Cabezudo would do what he does best and get to the rack, converting a layup and giving the Dolphins the lead with just three minutes remaining. The Perth Amboy, New Jersey native would stay hot the rest of the way, scoring the final seven points for his team. The Panthers, however, would get the ball with seconds remaining, and an offensive rebound led to a layup, resulting in the victory for the visitors. 

Rraci would lead the way offensively for his team, scoring a career-high 23 points while shooting 62% from the floor. Cabezudo added 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists of his own while Wein added 12 points, four boards, four assists and a steal. Chi made the most of his playing time, scoring 11 points on five of seven shooting. Both DJ Tucker and Kevin Agyemang faced foul trouble all afternoon but combined for six rebounds. 

The Dolphins will look to build on their strong play of late over the course of the next two weeks. They'll rest up during the holiday period before returning to action on the road in a tournament hosted by Springfield College.