COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College men's basketball team chipped a double-digit deficit to four points in the final minute on Monday before losing to Southern Connecticut State University, 77-72, during Northeast-10 Conference play in the Ross Sports Center.

RECORDS

• Saint Michael's (7-15, 3-12 NE10), Southern Connecticut State (7-14, 4-11 NE10)

SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS

• Senior Patrick Gardner (Merrick, N.Y./Calhoun/Nassau CC), 22 points, season-high 18 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 three-pointers, 7-for-10 free throws
• First-year CJ Crews (Tampa, Fla./Bayshore Christian School), 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 offensive rebounds, 3 assists, 4-for-10 three-pointers
• First-year Jacob Duniver (Fredericksburg, Va./Woodstock Academy), 12 points, 3-for-8 three-pointers
• First-year Nahshon Battle (Scotch Plains, N.Y./Woodstock Academy), 9 points, 3 assists, 4-for-8 field goals
• First-year Nic Button (Skaneateles, N.Y./Cheshire Academy), 7 points, 2 steals
• Senior Jontai Williams (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Hayes), 5 rebounds, career-high 8 assists
• Junior Jalen Gorham (York, Pa./MacDuffie School), 4 points, 3 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 steals

OPPONENT LEADERS

• Junior Ulyen Coleman, 23 points, 11 rebounds, 7-for-8 free throws
• Sophomore Lyron Bennett, 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 9-for-10 free throws
• Sophomore Alex Lin, 9 points

GAME FACTS

• Saint Michael's outshot the Owls from three-point range, 36.4%-33.3%, and on free throws, 73.7%-73.3%, while being edged overall, 38.7%-37.1%. The visitors also held a slim 41-39 rebounding lead.
• The Purple Knights knocked down 12 threes, reaching double figures for the eighth time this year.
• Saint Michael's has lost six games by six points or fewer.
• Gardner posted his 13th double-double of the season while drawing 11 of the 16 fouls that Southern Connecticut State committed during the contest.

THE ACTION

• Three players scored en route to Southern Connecticut State landing an early 6-0 lead, but Crews and Duniver later knocked down three-pointers 1:01 apart to provide Saint Michael's its first advantage, 12-11, at 13:21 of the opening half.
• The Owls tallied 11 of the next 13 points to lead 22-14, with four players scoring, and the visitors extended their advantage to 38-28 on a pair of Coleman freebies with 1:02 remaining. Southern Connecticut State carried an eight-point advantage into halftime after Button beat the buzzer with a lay-up.
• Saint Michael's opened the second half with a tying 12-4 run, with Battle and Gardner each scoring five points, including Battle knotting the teams at 42 with a corner triple at 15:18.
• Coleman had the final five points of a 7-0 response, but the Purple Knights countered that with a 13-4 run, as Gardner netted seven points, including a pair of free throws that made it 55-53 at 8:31. Gorham added four points, throwing down a dunk off of Williams' backdoor pass and tying the game with a pair of freebies prior to Gardner's go-ahead points.
• Two more Gardner free throws still had Saint Michael's up, 57-55, with 7:51 left, and Duniver came up with a tying free throw (58-58) at 5:38 before making a three to keep the hosts within one point (62-61) at 4:34.
• Bennett proceeded to score six points in a 9-0 run that pushed the Owl lead to 10 with 2:02 remaining.
• Duniver canned another trey at 1:53, and Crews buried back-to-back threes at 33 and 16 seconds to draw Saint Michael's within 76-72. However, senior C.J. Seaforth made a final free throw, and the Purple Knights missed a pair of last-second three-point attempts.

NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME

• Wednesday at Stonehill College, 7:30 p.m.