PURCHASE, N.Y. – A strong start gave Manhattanville College an early lead, but Misericordia University chipped away at the advantage and then pulled away in the second half to deal the Valiants a 70-53 defeat in Freedom Conference men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Kennedy Gymnasium.
 
The Cougars' Joe Busacca was a big factor in the visitors' second-half resurgence, scoring 20 of his game-high 28 points in the final stanza. Erik Kerns scored all nine of his points in the second half to go with a game-high 13 rebounds, and Steve Ware chipped in a solid all-around effort with six points, seven rebounds, seven assists and five steals for Misericordia (11-4, 3-1 Freedom).
 
For Manhattanville (5-10, 1-3 Freedom), juniors Anthony Maestre (Bronx, N.Y./Mount St. Michael Academy) and Juan Camacho (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/New Horizons) were the only players to register more than one field goal on the afternoon. Maestre hit 7-of-11 shots to finish with a team-high 19 points and added four assists and four rebounds, while Camacho chipped in 16 points and a team-best five boards.
 
The Valiants jumped out to a 10-0 lead three minutes into the contest thanks to five points from Maestre, a Camacho layup and a three-point play from junior Andrew Winter (Queens, N.Y./St. Francis Prep). The home team would eventually build its lead up to as many as 13 points with 6:40 remaining following a pair of free throws from freshman Timmy McCauley (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas).
 
However, Misericordia closed the half on a 15-6 run to get within striking distance down just 31-27 at the break. Neither team shot the ball well in the first half (around 35 percent), but Manhattanville used 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc to grab the lead and hold on.
 
Coming out of the locker rooms, Manhattanville managed to build its lead back up to 10 at 39-29 following a Camacho free throw with 17:25 remaining in the second half, and the Valiant lead was still eight (42-34) following a three from Maestre with 15:15 on the clock.
 
But then the two offenses seemed to flip switches, with the Valiants coming to a halt and the Cougars revving up. Misericordia went on a 20-2 run over the next seven minutes, getting nine points from Kerns and five from Busacca to spring the visitors ahead by 10 at 54-44 with 8:15 remaining. The Valiants went 1-for-8 from the field and turned the ball over six times while Misericordia hit seven of its eight shots from the field during the game-changing run, from which the home team could not recover.
 
Misericordia shot 66.7 percent (18 for 27) from the field overall in the second half, giving them even 50.0 percent (28 for 56) shooting for the game. Manhattanville, conversely, shot just 24.1 percent (7 of 29) in the final 20 minutes, leaving them at 30.0 percent (18 for 60) on the day.
 
Manhattanville will play its next two conference games on the road, beginning with a Wednesday night matchup at Eastern University beginning at 8 p.m.