NEWBURGH, N.Y.- Senior Bri Pabon (Newington, Conn./Newington) scored a game-high 28 points for the Manhattanville women's basketball team on Friday night, leading the Valiants to a 67-61 victory over Mount St. Mary in non-conference play.
 
Pabon shot 4-of-8 from beyond the arc while also going six for six from the charity strike, guiding Manhattanville (2-1) past Mount St. Mary (1-3) in what became an exciting finish. Senior Alyson Caiazzo (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Saviour) continued her dominance inside the paint, tallying 16 points to go with a game-high 18 rebounds.
 
For Mount St. Mary, the Knights had four different players finish in double figures, including 13-point performances by Bridget Kelly, Marisa Deizio and Lauren Romao. The Valiants led by as many as 19 points in the second half, but the Knights refused to back down all evening.
 
Consecutive layups by Caiazzo in the opening minutes put the Valiants up 4-0 just after two minutes in. Scoring inside the paint proved to be the difference for Manhattanville in the contest, as the Valiants outscored the Knights 38-20 on the interior. Mount St. Mary quickly answered early, jumping out on a 12-2 run, taking a 12-6 lead after seven minutes of play. The Knights led for majority of the first half until a three-pointer by Pabon tied the game up at 27 with 3:30 left until halftime. After the three, Pabon continued to wreak havoc, breaking out on two consecutive fast breaks for back-to-back buckets, making it 31-27 in favor of the Valiants with less than three minutes left in the first.
 
Manhattanville led by as many as six before a pair of free throws from Mount St. Mary cut the lead to four at halftime, 35-31. The Valiants started out the second half by going on a 10-0 run, taking a 45-31 lead with 14:06 left. Pabon's stellar shooting from beyond the arc paired with the dominant play of Manhattanville's low post put the Valiants up by 19 with eight minutes remaining, 57-38. The 19-point lead was eventually chipped away by Mount St. Mary, as the Knights started to catch fire. The Valiants held a 59-43 lead before a 16-2 run from Mount St. Mary made it a two-point ball game with under a minute left. Pabon's clutch free throw shooting in the end delivered Manhattanville a 67-61 win.
 
The Valiants will play their home opener on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. when they take on neighbor Purchase College in the annual "Battle of Anderson Hill Road." Both live video and live stats are available via GoValiants.com