PURCHASE, N.Y. – Manhattanville College got back on the winning track on Tuesday afternoon, defeating the University of Valley Forge by a 68-48 score in non-conference men's basketball action at Kennedy Gymnasium.
 
Senior Anthony Maestre (Bronx, N.Y./Mount St. Michael Academy) led all scorers with 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including a 6-of-9 mark from the free throw line. The nation's leader with 45 made free throws entering the week, Maestre also moved into 10th place in program history with 323 career makes from the charity stripe.
 
Sophomore Dom Arena (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) also reached double figures with 11 points, and classmate Alex Tuci (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) added seven points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Senior Andrew Winter (Queens, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) also had a solid stat line with six rebounds, four assists and a team-high three steals for Manhattanville (4-2).
 
After scoring six of the game's first 10 points, the Valiants followed with a 17-4 run that opened up a 23-8 lead with 9:19 left in the opening half. Junior Charles Nardone (Stony Point, N.Y./North Rockland) had a team-high five points during the run, followed by four each from Arena and freshman Willie Britton (Queens, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy).
 
The home team settled into a comfortable advantage after that, growing its lead to as many as 17 following a three-pointer from freshman Javin Barton (Queens, N.Y./St. Mary's) with 7:39 remaining in the half.
 
Arena led the Valiants at the half with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, followed by Britton and Maestre with seven points apiece. The Valiants shot 42.9 percent (12 for 28) from the field over the first 20 minutes, while also making the most of 10 Valley Forge turnovers by converting them into 12 points at the other end.
 
Manhattanville was never seriously threatened in the second half, even though the Patriots got the lead down to eight at 50-42 with 6:15 remaining. The Valiants followed that up with a 15-2 run to squelch any chance of a comeback, with Maestre adding eight of those points to help close the door.
 
The Valiants finished the game shooting 42.4 percent (25 of 59) from the field, while the Patriots ended the afternoon at 34.3 percent (21 of 61). Manhattanville also ended up with a decisive 23-5 edge in points off turnovers thanks to 19 UVF miscues.
 
Manhattanville will be back at Kennedy Gym on Sunday, as the Valiants host Williams College at 3 p.m. in their final non-conference tuneup before the start of MAC Freedom play.