GWYNEDD VALLEY, Pa. – Despite a big game from senior Alyson Caiazzo (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Saviour), the Manhattanville women's basketball team dropped its season opener against Gwynedd Mercy on Saturday afternoon, falling by a final score of 67-61 at the Gwynedd Mercy Tip Off Tournament.
 
Caiazzo led Manhattanville (0-1) with 18 points, 21 rebounds and five blocks. The five blocks from Caiazzo now makes her the all-time leader in blocks for Manhattanville women's basketball with 137, passing Kristina McRae '03 with 135. Helping Caiazzo on the scoring front was classmate Bri Pabon (Newington, Conn./Newington), finishing with 12 points in the contest.
 
The Griffins led a balanced attack throughout the game, coming mostly from their starting lineup. Chandler DiFebbo finished with a team-high 14 points while Kelsey Yori contributed 12 points in the win for Gwynedd Mercy (1-0).
 
The first half was played evenly with both teams unable to hold a significant edge. Manhattanville held its biggest lead of the first half seven minutes in, as the Valiants controlled a three-point edge over the Griffins after a layup from Caiazzo in the paint to make it 13-10. The Griffins were able to string together solid possessions to break down the Manhattanville defense, going on a 10-2 run and taking a 20-15 lead with 9:14 remaining in the first.
 
The Valiants stormed back in the first half, outscoring Gwynedd Mercy 13-8 for the final nine minutes, tying the game up at 28 as both teams headed into the half. At halftime, Caiazzo already had 12 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks.
 
As the second half started, so did the offense of Gwynedd Mercy. The Griffins jumped out on an 11-5 run in the first seven and a half minutes of the second, retaking a five-point lead with 12:46 to go at 40-35. The Valiants refused to back down; continuing to spark big plays that kept the game close.
 
After pulling the game within one-point at two separate occasions, the Valiants finally took back a lead with 7:54 left when it was Caiazzo banking in a layup to make it 46-45. Caiazzo knocked down a jumper on the next Manhattanville possession, extending the Valiants' lead to three with 7:16 left, making it 48-45.
 
With the Valiants up three, the Griffins ended up sparking an 8-2 run, taking a 53-49 lead with 4:32 left. Six of those eight points came off free throws, as foul shots proved to be the ending factor in the loss for Manhattanville. Gwynedd Mercy collected 22 points off free throws, shooting 74.2% from the line on 31 attempts compared to 16-of-22 for the Valiants.
 
Eventually the Valiants would pull within one point of the Griffins, coming at the 3:51 mark after two free throws from Pabon. With Gwynedd Mercy up 54-53, the Griffins jumped out on a 13-3 run, holding their biggest lead of the night by 11, 67-56. With under a minute left, the Valiants did all they could to mount a comeback, but ended up falling short, losing their season opener by a final score of 67-61.
 
Manhattanville will take on Haverford tomorrow in the Gwynedd Mercy Tip Off Tournament consolation game starting at noon. Both live video and live stats can be found via GoValiants.com.