PURCHASE, NY – An early back-and-forth battle turned in favor of visiting Union College Saturday at Purchase, as the hot-shooting Dutchmen's dynamic second half handed the Panthers an 83-66 loss. Union's Wade McNamara led the way with 21 points and 17 rebounds.

The Dutchmen (4-3) came out firing after building an eight-point margin in the closing seconds before the halftime break. In the first four and a half minutes of the final stanza, Union's 16-0 run seized a 59-35 advantage. The run was highlighted by Union's sharp shooting from beyond the arc. The non-conference loss drops Purchase to 7-3.  

Kalyn Credle broke the second-half run by Union with a 3-pointer, but the Panthers trailed 63-45 at 12:12. Union held a 66-47 lead with just under 10 minutes, and a 77-55 margin at 4:35 en route to the victory.

For the contest, Union was paced by McNamara (21 points, 17 rebounds) with his second double-double effort of the week. In two games this week, McNamara averaged 29 points and 19 rebounds, both wins. Deshon Burgess contributed 17 points.  Union hit 12 3s on the day, including six in the second half.

The Panthers were led offensively by swingman Deshawn Cann with 19 points, eight rebounds.

Union's Kevin Weckworth hit a 3-pointer that rolled around the rim and in right at the buzzer to conclude the first half. That stretched the lead back to eight, 43-35. The game see-sawed early and was tied 15-15 at 11:12 and 20-20 at 8:48 in the first. A McNamara layup and four free throws from Zachary Bouton on two trips down the floor increased the lead to 26-20 within the next two minutes. Union outscored Purchase 17-15 over the next seven minutes, despite the Panthers closing without five on a free throw by Nikeem Deleon in the last few seconds of the first period.

In the first half, Burgess shouldered the load offensively, scoring 12 points. He was followed by McNamara, who added eight points and 10 boards over the first 20 minutes. Cann had 11 first-half points. Guard Brian Berrios and Deleon chipped in nine and eight points, respectively. Deleon also went for six rebounds in the half.

Union closes out a busy first half of the month of December with a non-league game Monday night at the University of Rochester.