Box Score WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – The Manhattanville men's basketball team got off to a slow start and never recovered as the Valiants had their slim playoff hopes dashed with a 79-54 loss at King's (Pa.) College in a Freedom Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon.
Kyle Hammonds led all scorers with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Matt Fiorino added 16 points and Tim O'Shea chipped in 10 as well for the Monarchs.
No Valiants reached double figures in points on the afternoon, as senior Brian Bertucci (Gibbsboro, N.J./Solebury Prep) and sophomore Taylor Mazzei (Weston, Fla./Cypress Bay) tied for the team lead with nine points apiece. Sophomore Jack Bramswig (Pleasantville, N.Y./Pleasantville) did reach double digits in rebounds, however, hauling in a game-high 11 to go with eight points, two assists and a block.
Both teams struggled out of the gates, combining for just four field goals on 16 attempts in the first five minutes of play. After a bucket from Bramswig gave the Valiants a 2-0 lead 46 seconds in, the visitors went 1-for-8 with six turnovers over the next seven minutes, allowing King's to build up a 10-4 edge before a pair of free throws by freshman Mike Murray (Queens, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) with 12:24 to go got the team within four.
Unfortunately for Manhattanville, the Monarchs heated up while the Valiants remained cold from the field. The King's lead reached double figures (25-15) for the first time on a pair of free throws by Mike Foster with 7:16 to go, and the home team then exploded for a 13-0 run to open up a 40-17 advantage with 2:31 to go.
King's got its lead up to 26 points with 1:47 remaining in the first half on a three-point play by O'Shea, giving the home team a 45-19 lead. The Valiants closed the frame with six straight points to trim the lead to 45-25, getting a three-pointer from Mazzei and free throws from seniors Jeff Ventura (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Cypress Bay) and Bertucci.
Even with the late run, however, Manhattanville shot just 8 of 25 (32 percent) from the field and turned the ball over 16 times in the first 20 minutes. After some early struggles, King's managed to shoot 48 percent (14 for 29) from the field in the first half, including 6 of 11 from beyond the arc. Fiorino led all scorers with 11 points at the break, while Mazzei's five was the high total for the Valiants.
The Valiants shot the ball better to begin the second half, hitting six of their first nine shots, yet still found themselves down 19 (57-38) with 13 minutes remaining. The deficit never fell beneath that margin the rest of the way, as the visitors were unable to chip away at the margin.
For the game, Manhattanville shot 36.4 percent (20 for 55) from the field, while King's hit at a 41.0 percent (25 for 61) clip. The Valiants also turned the ball over 25 times compared to 11 for the Monarchs, leading to a huge 35-4 edge in points off turnovers in favor of the home team.
Manhattanville (10-13, 4-8 Freedom) will conclude the season with a pair of games at Kennedy Gymnasium, beginning with a Tuesday night matchup against Delaware Valley beginning at 8 p.m., with the game video steamed live on GoValiants.TV. King's (9-14, 4-8 Freedom) will travel to Misericordia on Tuesday for an 8 p.m. contest.
