NEW LONDON, N.H. - Senior Brittany Deieso (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) and sophomore Kayleah McGuire (Somers, N.Y./Somers) combined for 30 points but their efforts were not enough to push Manhattanville past Colby-Sawyer in non-conference action Saturday afternoon in New Hampshire.
McGuire led all scorers with 17 points in the contest, going a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line while pulling in nine rebounds. Deieseo added 13 points of her own while corralling a career-best nine rebounds as well. Junior Sarah Kelley (Ewing, N.J./Ewing) netted a season-best eight points and sophomore Ivy Coles (Freeport, N.Y./Christ The King) added nine off the bench against the Chargers.
An 11-0 run in the first quarter gave the Valiants (4-5) an eight-point edge over Colby-Sawyer in the early goings, using the momentum to take a 15-10 lead into the first break. After buckets by Coles and Kelley gave the Valiants a nine-point cushion in the second quarter, the Chargers cut the deficit to just two points midway through the period. Seven points from Deieso in 57 seconds pushed the lead back up to nine points late in the half, but an 8-2 run by the Chargers made it a three-point game at the halftime break.
After shooting just 32 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes of action, the Chargers found the shooting touch over the final two quarters, hitting 47 percent of their shots in the second half. After the Chargers took a lead into the final quarter, Manhattanville battled back to make it a two-point game with 2:44 to play, and tied the score with two free-throws by Coles with 1:04 remaining. Two turnovers in the final minute of play proved to be costly for the Valiants, giving Colby-Sawyer multiple opportunities to take the lead. The Chargers took advantage when Amanda Calvo hit a jumpshot with 10 seconds to play, giving Colby-Sawyer a two-point lead. The Valiants had a chance to tie on their final possession but McGuire was unable to get her shot to drop and the Chargers hauled in the ensuing rebound to seal the win.
The Valiants will look to start 2017 with a win when they host Western Connecticut State in their final tune-up before beginning conference play on Wednesday. Tip-off against the Colonials is scheduled for 2:00 pm Monday in Kennedy Gym.
