PURCHASE, N.Y. – Senior Ashley Franklin (New Haven, Conn./Hill Regional Career) scored 12 of her team-high 20 points in the second half as the Manhattanville College women's basketball team scored 47 second-half points to take down conference foe Eastern University 80-65 Wednesday in Kennedy Gymnasium. 
 
Franklin recorded her second double-double of the season, finishing with 11 rebounds to compliment her 20 points.  Fellow seniors Ashley Raaf (Rockaway Beach, N.Y./Christ The King) and Bri Pabon (Newington, Conn./Newington) also finished in double figures with 16 and 11 respectively.  Freshman Kayleah McGuire (Somers, N.Y./Somers) also finished the night in double figures with 10 points off the bench.  Junior Jazmin Pryce (Patterson, N.Y./Brewster) also had a productive night off the bench for Manhattanville, finishing with six points and five rebounds in a season-high 18 minutes of action.
 
Despite a slow start, Manhattanville (11-4 overall, 3-2 MAC Freedom) used several transition baskets to keep pace with Eastern (8-8 overall, 2-3 MAC Freedom) in the first half.  After trailing by one after the first quarter, the Valiants and Eagles traded buckets in the second quarter, as the Eagles retained their single-point advantage into the halftime break. 
 
The Valiants came alive in the second half however.  After falling behind by nine points with 6:42 to play in the third quarter, Manhattanville used a 13-0 run over the next four minutes, including six points from Franklin, to take a four-point lead.  Pryce added six points in the quarter to help the Valiants extend that lead to seven points, and headed into the final quarter leading 56-49.
 
With 6:34 to play in the fourth quarter, McGuire hit a layup, and on the ensuing inbounds pass, Pabon intercepted the pass and laid it in to make it a nine-point lead for Manhattanville.  After a stop on the defensive end, Raaf hit a pair of free throws to give the Valiants an eleven-point lead and put the game out of reach. 
 
With just seconds left in the game, freshman Geena Catalano (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) stole a pass along the far sideline, and took the ball strong to the hoop for an and-one play to put an exclamation point on the come-from-behind win for Manhattanville. 
 
The Valiants will look to ride the momentum into the weekend when they host King's College on Alumni Day.  Both the women and men's teams will be playing the game in benefit of the Quinn for the Win Foundation.  All ticket sales and donations collected at the game will go directly to the organization that supports ALS research.  It will also be Alumni Day for the two basketball teams.  Tip-off is currently scheduled for Saturday at 1:00 P.M. for the women's game.  News regarding any schedule changes due to inclement weather can be found at GoValiants.com and on the Valiant social media outlets.