PURCHASE, N.Y. – Manhattanville College outscored King's (Pa.) College by a 24-12 margin over the final 11:01 of the game as the Valiants stormed back to defeat the Monarchs, 65-61, in a big MAC Freedom men's basketball matchup on Saturday afternoon at Kennedy Gym.
 
Junior Alex Tuci (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) led all scorers with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, and he was joined in double figures by classmate Chris Ayson (Pelham, N.Y./Pelham Memorial) with a season-high 12 points off the bench and senior Charles Nardone (Stony Point, N.Y./North Rockland) with 10 points. Junior Dom Arena (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) also chipped in eight points, five assists and five rebounds, while freshman JoJo Cobbs (Elmsford, N.Y./Briarcliff) added seven points and three assists as well for Manhattanville (6-9, 2-2 MAC Freedom).
 
The Valiants had one of their best shooting days of the season on Saturday, shooting 52.3 percent (23 for 44) from the field, 42.9 percent (6 for 14) from beyond the arc and 76.5 percent (13 for 17) from the charity stripe. The sharp shooting was needed, as King's (4-10, 0-4 MAC Freedom) took 18 more shots than the home team (25 for 62) over the course of the night.
 
The two teams were locked in a close struggle all afternoon long, as the game featured 12 lead changes and 10 ties. There were eight ties alone in the first half, a frame that saw the lead grow to no more than five points on either side.
 
King's took the lead to start the second half and led by a 49-41 margin following a Connor Callejas jumper with 11:01 left on the clock, but Manhattanville locked in offensively after that, scoring on six straight possessions to tie the score at 55 with 7:30 remaining. Tuci had seven points and Ayson added five during the run, while Arena hauled in a rebound and went coast to coast to tie the score and complete the stretch.
 
After the two teams combined to score on 10 of 12 possessions during the run, they naturally went over three minutes without a point on either side before another layup from Arena put Manhattanville up 57-55 with 4:22 left. After the teams traded buckets, Cobbs came up with another huge late-game three to give the home team a 62-57 advantage with 2:32 on the clock.
 
Back-to-back buckets got the Monarchs back within one with under 30 seconds to go, but junior Timmy Quinlan (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's Boys) hit one free throw to make the score 63-61 with 22 ticks left. King's forward Andrew Hudak was fouled on the next possession and missed both the front end of a one-and-one and a subsequent layup attempt after he grabbed the rebound, with Cobbs coming up with a crucial defensive board for Manhattanville and then sinking both free throws to clinch the victory.
 
The Valiants will look to keep the momentum going on Wednesday, when the squad travels to Delaware Valley University for an 8 p.m. tipoff with the Aggies.