Boxscore

MADISON, N.J. –  Sophomore Taylor Wilson (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) led the Valiants with 13 points and all 10 active players scored, leading the Manhattanville women's basketball team to a dominating 76-39 victory over FDU-Florham on Wednesday evening at the Ferguson Center in a Freedom Conference contest.  

Four other Valiants finished in double figures, as junior Kelli Hyjek (Tolland, Conn./Tolland) ended with 12 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Junior Courtney Turner (Staten Island, N.Y./Ralph McKee) had 11 points on 5-of-6 from the line with five rebounds, while sophomore Jennifer McSharar (Garnerville, N.Y./North Rockland) had nine of her 11 points in the second half along with seven rebounds in 14 minutes.  Senior Simona Gordon (Cambridge, Mass./Cambridge Rindge & Latin) had a quiet 10 points, but as the Devils defense keyed on her, the rest of the team stepped-up.  Classmate Carey Hickey (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y./Dobbs Ferry) had a strong game with seven points and eight assists.

The Valiants began the contest with a 7-2 run capped by a three-pointer by Wilson.  FDU cut the deficit to 7-6 with a 4-0 run with a pair of baskets inside the paint, but the visitors scored 10 straight points before a Brianna Nichols bucket cut the deficit at 17-8 with 8:23 remaining. The Valiants increased the lead with the second three-pointer by Wilson and then a layup by Gordon to take a 16-point edge with 7:08 remaining. 

The Devils used an 8-0 run in the latter part of the half to cut the deficit to eight at 24-16, with three points each by Lanie Andrews and Brittany Mathes. However, the Valiants used their second 10-0 run of the half to take a 34-18 lead after a layup by sophomore Janetta Arnold (Windsor, Conn./Suffield Academy) with 2:48 remaining. The Devils ended the half scoring the last five points and seven of the final nine points in the half, but the Valiants still went into halftime with a 36-25 lead.

Three players finished the half with 10 points, as Hyjek and Wilson led the Valiants on combined 8-of-16 shooting from the field. Matil Mangual led her team with 10 points on 5-of-7 from the field. Despite leading at the half, the Valiants shot well under the trailing Devils, who shot 58 percent, but the Devils took just 19 shots due to 18 turnovers and were outrebounded 21-18.

The Valiants just completely dominated the second half en route to the victory. The Valiants used two massive runs in the second half to outscore the opposition 40-14. The Valiants began with a 13-point run to increase the lead to 49-25, as the Devils did not score their first point of the half until over 10 minutes had elapsed. The second powerful run gave the Valiants 14 extra points.

The Valiants dominated in the specialty stats, scoring 27 points off turnovers, 46 points in the paint, 27 points off second-chance points and 14 fast-break points. The Valiant bench was also a key to the contest with McSharar leading the reserve scoring.  

For FDU, Nichols had 18 points and Mangual scored all of her 10 points in the opening half. The Devils shot 40 percent from the field and 35 percent from the line, but gave the ball over 35 times.

Manhattanville (14-8, 7-4 Freedom) will host Eastern University on Saturday afternoon in the second annual “Think Pink Game”. The contest will tipoff at 1 p.m. and will be seen live on GoValiants.TV beginning at 12:50 p.m. Fans can also follow along with live stats at GoValiants.com.