WENHAM, MA – Freshman Sarah Coutu (Cranston, R.I./Cranston East) scored 20 points in her first collegiate game, leading four Valiants in double figures as the Manhattanville College women's basketball team kicked off the 2017-18 season with a dominating 80-45 win over the host Fighting Scots in the opening round of the Gordon College Classic.

Coutu was joined by junior Kayleah McGuire (Somers, N.Y./Somers) (17 points), sophomore Nancy Caballero (Henderson, Nev./Liberty) (12 points) and classmate Amanda Pemberton (Henderson, Nev./Liberty) (10 points) as the double-digit scorers for coach Kate Vlahakis' squad. Alisha Henderson led Gordon (0-2) with 11 points, while Jess Ryan pitched in nine. The team's 80 points marked the highest point total in a game since an 83-50 win over St. Joseph's (Conn.) on February 18, 2016.

Manhattanville (1-0) controlled the game from the opening tip, never trailing and leading by as many as 39. The Valiants held the Scots to just 25 percent from the field, posted a decisive 44-20 advantage on points in the paint, and out-rebounded them 48-33. Caballero recorded 12 of those 48 rebounds, finishing with the game's only double-double.

Five different Valiants scored in the opening 10 minutes, pushing the lead at the end of the first quarter to 15-4, thanks in large part to a five point, five rebound, three steal effort from Caballero.

Gordon closed the gap to 23-18 during the second quarter, but Manhattanville pushed the lead back to eight at the break off lay-ups from Pemberton and Coutu.
The Valiants came out firing on all cylinders in the third quarter, making their first four shots while pushing their lead out to 16. In all, Manhattanville finished the period 14 for 18 from the field for a 77.7 percent mark, including making its only two three-point attempts, extending their lead to 65-31.

The teams traded baskets over the final 10 minutes, with Manhattanville's lead fluctuating between 32 and 39 points.

The Valiants are right back at it tomorrow, with a 1 p.m. tip-off against Rhode Island College to close out the Gordon Classic. The team's home opener will be Monday at 6 p.m. inside Kennedy Gymnasium against the College of Saint Elizabeth.