PURCHASE, N.Y. – Senior Alex Tuci (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) scored the game-winning bucket with 5.1 seconds left in regulation as the Manhattanville College men's basketball clawed its way into the finals of the fifth annual AJ Buchanan Classic with a 62-60 win over William Paterson University on Friday night at Kennedy Gym.
 
Tuci had another solid effort for Manhattanville (2-0), posting a second straight double-double with 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Classmate Dom Arena (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) once again led the home team in scoring with 15 points to go with four assists and three steals, while sophomore JoJo Cobbs (Elmsford, N.Y./Briarcliff) chipped in 12 points and senior Brian Haggerty (Bayside, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) provided a huge lift off the bench with 11 points.
 
After the Valiants battled back from a big first-half deficit to take the lead, William Paterson  (1-1) grabbed its first and only lead of the second half with 1:26 to go on the second of two straight Peter Martinez three-pointers, and an Arena layup knotted the score headed into the final minute. After a good defensive stand kept the game tied, Haggerty misfired on an attempt with under 10 seconds to go but Tuci was in perfect positioning to tip the ball home just before the expiration of the shot clock to put the home team up for good.
 
Manhattanville trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half, as the Pioneers used an 18-2 run to grab a 24-9 lead midway through the opening frame. But the Valiants stormed back with a big run of their own, finishing the first half with 14 straight points, ending with an old-fashioned three-point play from freshman Sean Smith (Yonkers, N.Y./Sacred Heart) that put the home team up 29-28 at the half.
 
Senior Timmy Quinlan (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's Boys) extended the run to 17 straight with a three-pointer to start off the second half, giving the Valiants an early four-point edge. Manhattanville eventually built up an 11-point lead at 53-42 largely on the back of Haggerty, who netted eight straight points on a pair of three-pointers and a layup, before the Pioneers rallied to set up the thrilling finish.
 
Both teams finished the game shooting exactly 23 of 53 (43.4 percent) from the field, but while William Paterson connected on one more three-point attempt, the Valiants had a 10-7 edge at the charity stripe that allowed the team to pull out the win.
 
Manhattanville will play Western Connecticut State University, 66-63 victors over SUNY Brockport in Friday's first game, in the championship round on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Pioneers and Golden Eagles will meet in the consolation game at 1 p.m.