Boxscore

PURCHASE, N.Y. – With their backs against the wall and needing a win to keep any chance of making the postseason alive, the Manhattanville men's basketball team had five players reach double figures to keep hope alive for at least one more game with a 74-61 victory over Eastern University on Saturday afternoon at Kennedy Gym.

Manhattanville (13-10, 5-7 Freedom) remained in sixth place in the Freedom Conference and two games out of a playoff spot with two games to go, but the team is still mathematically alive if multiple other games go the Valiants' way over the next week. Those results, however, are dependent on a pair of Valiant wins starting on Tuesday at Delaware Valley.

Needing a win to stay alive on Saturday, Manhattanville came out of the locker rooms with a game-changing 20-4 run that turned a two-point halftime deficit into a 14-point Valiant lead midway through the second half. A layup by junior Trevoy Pointer (Dallas, Texas/Skyline) knotted the score at 30 one minute into the second half, and that was followed by buckets from Pointer and senior Peter Mehmel (Queens, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) to put the home team up by four.

After a three-pointer by Alex Nelson brought Eastern back within three, the Valiants then went on a 14-1 run, thanks in large part to back-to-back three-pointers from both senior Jay Ferriere (Melbourne, Australia/Emerald Secondary) and junior Jeff Ventura (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cypress Bay). Eastern, meanwhile, went 0 for 11 from the field with five turnovers during the stretch.

Ventura's second three-ball gave the home team a 14-point lead (48-34) with 9:07 left in the contest, and the Valiants never trailed again. There were some nervous moments down the stretch, however, as back-to-back Nelson three-pointers capped a 7-0 run and brought the Eagles to within just five points at 58-53 with 3:43 left. But a big three by junior Felipe Vargas (Miami, Fla./Miami Christian) on Manhattanville's next possession started a 7-0 run the other way to help salt away the victory.

For the game, Manhattanville shot at a nice 51.8 percent (29 for 56) clip, including a blistering 64.0 percent (16 of 25) in the second half. After a good first half, Eastern fell off dramatically in the second to end the day shooting just 34.4 percent (21 of 61) from the field.

The Valiants spread the scoring around on Saturday, as Pointer led a balanced offensive attack with 15 points and four assists. Ferriere had one of his best games of the year, matching his career high with 12 points and adding a career-best nine rebounds to go with three assists and three steals. Senior Lamar Glass (Dallas, Texas/Skyline) chipped in 11 points while Vargas and classmate Glen Rodriguez (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Miami (Fla.) LaSalle) had 10 points apiece as well for the home team.

Eastern was led by Collin Whipple, who led all scorers with 26 points on 11 of 18 shooting, and Nelson, who had 14 points.

Manhattanville will look to keep its postseason hopes alive on Tuesday night, when the Valiants travel to Doylestown, Pa., for their final road game of the regular season at Delaware Valley.