PURCHASE, N.Y.- Backed by a triple-double from senior Alyson Caiazzo (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Saviour) and a game-high 30 points from classmate Bri Pabon (Newington, Conn./Newington), the Manhattanville women's basketball team took undefeated #1 FDU-Florham to the limit before falling in Freedom Conference play on Thursday night by a final score of 104-91.
 
Caiazzo finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists while Pabon tallied a game-high 30 points, including five three-pointers for Manhattanville (10-8, 1-6 Freedom). The triple-double for Caiazzo was her second of the season, making her the first Valiant in program history to record two triple-doubles in a single season. Freshman Samantha Milazzo (Bellmore, N.Y./John F Kennedy) and junior Ashley Franklin (New Haven, Conn./Hill Regional Career) chipped in 12 and 11 points for the Valiants, respectively. FDU-Florham (18-0, 7-0 Freedom) had five players finish in double-figures, helping keep their perfect record intact.  
 
For Manhattanville, the team's 91 points are easily the most allowed by FDU during its current 51-game winning streak, with the previous high being the 80 points put up by the University of Puerto Rico-Bayamon on December 29, 2013 - and the previous high for an NCAA team coming in a 87-73 win over Delaware Valley on February 22, 2014. Both teams were lights out offensively, as the Valiants finished shooting 52.3 percent (34-65) from the floor while the Devils shot 49.4 percent (38-77). The problem for Manhattanville in the contest was the team's 24 turnovers, which converted into 22 points for the Devils. 
 
The Devils looked to jump out early on the Valiants, but Manhattanville was able to stick around for majority of the game. FDU-Florham guard Alyssa McDonough opened up the contest with two consecutive three-pointers, putting the Devils up 6-2 early. After a three from sophomore Alyson Chase (Chaplin, Conn./Pomfret School) followed by a two-point basket from Caiazzo, the Valiants took their first lead over the Devils at the 18:17 mark, 7-6. FDU-Florham battled back immediately after its one-point deficit, going on a 14-4 run, taking a 20-11 lead with 14:55 left in the first half. The Valiants continued to try and chip away at the FDU-Florham lead for the rest of the first half, but the Devils remained strong, taking a 59-39 lead into the half.
 
The Valiants started off the second half looking like a new team, scoring the first six points of the half, cutting their deficit to 14 points with 16:41 left, 59-45. The Devils eventually answered, putting their lead back to 22 points with 13:13 left, 72-50.  Manhattanville battled back after its 22-point deficit, utilizing a 12-2 run to pull the game within 12 points. Milazzo played major minutes off the bench for Manhattanville, finding good looks at the basket inside, scoring six of the 12 Valiant points on the run. The Devils continued to cause pressure offensively, not allowing Manhattanville to pull within single digits until the six-minute mark. The closest the Valiants could come to FDU-Florham for the rest of the contest was nine points before the Devils ended up winning by a final score of 104-91.
 
Manhattanville is back home this Saturday at 1 p.m. as the Valiants take on Wilkes University in Freedom Conference play. Both live video and live stats are available via GoValiants.com.