Boxscore

PURCHASE, N.Y. –  Sophomore Taylor Wilson (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) scored 17 points and had eight rebounds as the Manhattanville women's basketball team defeated Delaware Valley, 71-49, in a Freedom Conference contest on Wednesday evening at Kennedy Gym.

The Valiants used their size and speed in the contest to outrebound the Aggies, 49-38, as freshman Beranda Felder (Brooklyn, N.Y./Midwood) grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and added nine points as a reserve in 18 minutes. Stepping up in her first start since the first of the year, sophomore Janetta Arnold (Windsor, Conn./Suffield Academy) finished with 12 points and was a big part of the Valiant pressure defense.

The Valiants' bench was a huge spark in the contest as well, scoring 29 points with help from junior Kelli Hyjek (Tolland, Conn./Tolland) netting eight points and grabbing seven rebounds. Classmate Courtney Turner (Staten Island, N.Y./Ralph McKee) was a second-half contributor, scoring all of her seven points late in the game.

Despite missing their first 15 field goals of the contest, the Aggies trailed by just six points, 28-22 at halftime. The Valiants also hit a bit of a snag to begin the game, connecting on just 1-of-7 before Hyjek made it a 4-0 lead with 16:04 left. The Valiants took a double-digit lead on a three-pointer by junior Stephanie Vaiano (South Ozone Park, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) with 11:34 remaining in the half, upping the lead to 13-2. Felder then gave the Valiants a 15-point edge (21-6) after connecting on free throws with 6:39 left. Del Val made a comeback late in the half, however, cutting the deficit to a two-possession game with under a minute remaining on a pair of three-point baskets by Brittany Battinieri.

The Valiants shot 31 percent in the first half, while the Aggies shot 25 percent both from the field and behind the arc.  Wilson led the Valiants with seven points and Jackie Shunkwiler had eight for the Aggies.

The hosts didn't look back in the second half, holding a double-digit lead after a jumper by Arnold made it 41-31 with 15:57 left. The Valiants extended their lead with an 8-0 run with 12:13 remaining as sophomore Jen McSharar (Garnerville, N.Y./North Rockland) made it 45-31. The Valiants took their largest lead of the contest with 2:43 left as Vaiano made it 71-47 on a jumper.

For the Aggies, Shunkwiler had a game-high 21 points and nine rebounds for her squad, as Delaware Valley shot 26 percent in the contest, but was effective at the free throw line going 12-of-13.

Manhattanville (10-6, 4-2 Freedom) will head south to take on Eastern University on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. A live audio broadcast will be available on Saturday on WMVL 88.1 FM and GoValiants.com. Delaware Valley (7-10, 1-5 Freedom) will return back to Doylestown, Pa., for a 1 p.m. contest with Wilkes on Saturday.