COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season on Tuesday, falling to the College of Staten Island, 76-74, in the Ross Sports Center. The Purple Knights were ranked ninth in this week's D2SIDA East Region Poll and entered the day as one of three undefeated teams left in the region.

RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (4-1), Staten Island (1-3)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Junior Joël Kabimba (Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo/Middleburg Academy/Bryant), 17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 offensive rebounds, 7-for-14 field goals, 3-for-4 free throws
• Junior Romar Reid (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Woodstock Academy/Manhattan), 15 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, 6-for-13 field goals
• Junior Kasai Brown (Brooklyn, N.Y./Millbrook School), 11 points, 5 rebounds, 5-for-10 field goals
• First-year Alan Brzezinski (Örebro, Sweden/Western Reserve Academy), 10 points, 9 rebounds, 3 offensive rebounds, 4-for-8 field goals, 2-for-4 three-pointers
• Senior Dario Milojevic (Windsor, Ontario/Herman Academy/Mississippi Valley State), 10 points (career high) in 14 minutes, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 5-for-10 field goals
• Sophomore Jacob Duniver (Fredericksburg, Va./Woodstock Academy), 6 points, 14 rebounds (career high), 2-for-5 three-pointers
• Sophomore CJ Crews (Tampa, Fla./Bayshore Christian School), 4 assists

OPPONENT LEADERS

• First-year James Chestnut, 14 assists
• Sophomore Messiah Mallory, 20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks
• Junior Bryce Waterman, 17 points, 3 assists, 5-for-10 three-pointers
• Sophomore Luis Armas, 16 points, 5 rebounds
• First-year Michael Oyekanmi, 15 points, 7-for-11 field goals
• Senior Chris Velasquez, 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 4-for-7 field goals

GAME FACTS

• Each of the Purple Knights' five games have been decided by eight points or less, with the final margins coming by a combined 22 points.
• The teams met for the first time.

THE ACTION

• Neither team led by more than five points until Kabimba's lay-in provided the hosts a 25-19 lead at 9:45 of the opening half. Five Reid points and a dunk by Kabimba during a 7-0 run made it 32-24 by 7:07.
• Buckets by Kabimba at 2:34 and 2:04 twice helped Saint Michael's lead by 10, and the Purple Knights held a 42-36 edge at halftime.
• After Waterman's three-pointer tied the game (46-46) at 16:22 of the second half, four players scored in a 9-0 Purple and Gold response, and Brzezinski's jumper with 10:12 remaining had his team up 61-50.
• Reid's mid-range jumper at 4:22 still had Saint Michael's in front by 10 (71-61) before the Dolphins ended the game on a 15-3 run. Mallory netted seven of the points, while Waterman knocked down a pair of threes, including the tying triple with 2:19 left.
• Mallory's lay-up at 1:20 gave Staten Island its first lead, 74-72, but Reid hit a pair of free throws at 59.6 seconds to tie the game.
• Velasquez made a mid-range jumper from the left wing at 31 seconds to put the visitors back on top before Brzezinski rebounded two missed Purple Knight threes to keep the final possession alive. Coming out of three consecutive timeouts with 2.6 seconds left, the hosts were unable to take a final shot.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Friday vs. D'Youville (N.Y.) College, 5 p.m. in game one of the Purple Knights' Eracism Invitational.