PURCHASE, N.Y. - The defense played tough, but sharp shooting from the Lady Colonials of Western Connecticut State proved to be too much for Manhattanville as the Valiants dropped their final non-conference matchup before heading into MAC Freedom play this week.
 
Senior Brittany Deieso (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) led the Valiants in scoring with 13 points, and senior Sarah Kelley (Ewing, N.J./Ewing) added 11 points to go along with six rebounds.  Junior Joiada Darnell (St. Albans, N.Y./Humanities and the Arts) was a force on the glass, hauling in ten rebounds, seven coming on the offensive end. 
 
It was a back and forth opening period, as the teams traded buckets for much of the opening quarter with the Lady Colonials (9-3) holding a 13-12 lead after the first ten minutes of action.  Western Connecticut State opened the second quarter on a 13-6 run, hitting five of their first seven shots of the period to take an eight-point lead with 5:06 remaining in the half.  The Valiants flipped the script to end the quarter, using an 8-2 run while causing four turnovers to cut the deficit to two points.  A free-throw and late layup by the Lady Colonials pushed the lead back up to five points at the halftime break however, as Manhattanville trailed 31-26.
 
A huge run by the Lady Colonials in the third quarter gave the blue and orange a 16-point lead with 2:17 to play in the quarter, but Manhattanville was not about to go down without a fight.  It was the Valiants using a 15-3 run of their own, holding the Lady Colonials to 1-8 shooting over an eight minute stretch to cut the deficit down to four points with 4:18 to play in the final quarter.  A big three-pointer by Gabrielle Hulbert with 3:31 to play made it a seven-point game, but once again the Valiants did not go away.  A 6-0 run over the next 1:40 made it a one-point game with 1:51 to play.  After both squads traded buckets, Emily Dobson converted a three-point play to make it 57-53 with less than one minute to play.  After a jumper from senior Brittany Deieso (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster), Gabrielle Hurlbert hit a pair of free-throws to once again give the Lady Colonials a four-point cushion.  The Valiants were unable to capitalize on the ensuing possession and a late free-throw sealed the deal for Western Connecticut State as they held on for a 60-55 win.  
 
With the loss, Manhattanville falls to 4-6 for the season as they head into MAC Freedom play this week.  For the Lady Colonials, the win extends their current win-streak to eight games as they improve to 9-3 on the season. 
 
The Valiants return to action on Wednesday for their conference opener on the road when they travel to Misericordia University.  Last season the Valiants went 2-0 against the Cougars and have won four straight dating back to the 2014-15 season.  Tip-off for that contest is scheduled for 6:00 pm and fans can follow the action on GoValiants.com.