PURCHASE, N.Y. – After a cold start in the first quarter, the Valiants heated up late in the first half to take down the Bloodhounds of John Jay College of Criminal Justice 52-34 Tuesday evening in their season opener at Kennedy Gymnasium.
It was a big night for multiple Valiants, with sophomore Kayleah Mcguire leading the way with her third career double-double on 12 points and 10 rebounds to go along with two steals and one block. Freshman
Nancy Caballero (Henderson, Nev./Liberty) had a huge night on the glass, hauling in 14 rebounds in 20 minutes of action, the most by a Valiant in their collegiate debut. Senior
Brittany Deieso (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) and sophomore
Ivy Coles (Freeport, N.Y./Christ The King) had career bests in the win, with each setting new career-highs in points with seven each.
The Valiants (1-0) finished the night with a huge advantage on the glass, holding a 54-40 advantage in the rebound category, including 21 offensive boards in the win. As a team the Valiants forced 27 turnovers to win their season-opener for the second consecutive year.
It was a struggle for both squads early in the first quarter, with both the Valiants and Bloodhounds shooting just 29 percent from the field and combining for 13 turnovers in the first ten minutes of action. Manhattanville jumped out to an early 6-2 lead less than two minutes into the action on consecutive three-point plays by McGuire. However, the Valiants went ice cold for the next eight minutes, going without a field goal until junior
Sam Milazzo (Bellmore, N.Y./John F Kennedy) hit a layup with nine seconds remaining in the period. The Bloodhounds used a 9-5 run during that stretch to take an 11-10 lead at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter was a different story for Manhattanville. After John Jay continued their run, opening the quarter on a 7-4 stretch to make it 18-14 in favor of the visitors, Manhattanville closed the half with a 16-3 run over the final 6:15. The Valiants went 7-14 from the field, including 2-4 from beyond the arc while holding Hunter to 0-5 shooting and forcing four turnovers during the stretch. Senior
Brittany Deieso (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) led the charge with seven points including one of the Valiant three pointers. Freshman
Jenna Feinberg (New City, N.Y./Clarkstown South) also made her mark with her first career bucket, a three-pointer at the 4:59 mark of the quarter to give the Valiants the lead. She followed it up with a nice finger-roll layup to stretch the lead to five, matching the largest lead of the game at that point. Layups from McGuire and Deieso capped off the run and gave the Valiants a nine-point advantage at the halftime break, 30-21.
The Valiants began the third quarter continuing their momentum from the first half, starting the half with a 12-3 charge led by seven consecutive points from sophomore guard
Ivy Coles (Freeport, N.Y./Christ The King). The home squad outscored the Bloodhounds 17-7 in the frame, taking a 19-point lead into the final quarter, holding the blue and white to just eight field goals through the first 30 minutes of action.
In a low scoring fourth quarter, the Bloodhounds outscored the Valiants 6-5 but Manahttanville held on for the 18-point victory over the Bloodhounds.
Manhattanville is back in action this weekend when they host the second annual Battle of the Castle Tip-Off Tournament at Kennedy Gym Saturday and Sunday. The Valiants begin the four-team tournament with a matchup against the Giants of Keystone College at 2:00 pm and will face either Marywood University or Connecticut College Sunday afternoon.
