HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Senior Dom Arena (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) and freshman Sean Smith (Yonkers, N.Y./Sacred Heart) led the charge with 21 points apiece as the Manhattanville College men's basketball team rode some hot shooting to a 87-79 win over Hartwick College in the opening game of the Juniata College Holiday Tournament on Thursday afternoon at Memorial Gym.
 
Manhattanville (5-3) had an excellent shooting afternoon in the win, hitting on 53.7 percent (36 of 67) of its shots for the game – including 67.3 percent (33 of 49) from inside the arc. Smith led the hot shooters by hitting 9-of-11 shots from the field, finishing with 21 points and eight rebounds in just 22 minutes off the bench.
 
Arena added 21 points, four assists and three boards, while classmate Alex Tuci (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) didn't put up points but still made a major impact with a game-high 15 rebounds and a career-best five blocks. Fellow senior Brian Haggerty (Bayside, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) scored all 13 of his points in just eight minutes during the second half, helping the spur the Valiants on to a victory.
 
Hartwick (2-4) jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and held its advantage for much of the opening half, with the Valiants playing catch-up until a pair of free throws from sophomore JoJo Cobbs (Elmsford, N.Y./Briarcliff) put the Valiants up 27-26 with 7:13 to go. Manhattanville went into halftime with a 41-39 lead after an Arena bucket on the final possession of the stanza.
 
The Valiants excelled during the second 20 minutes of action, hitting 20 of 34 shots (58.8 percent) from the field and an incredible 19 of 24 (79.1 percent) two-point attempts on the way to the win.
 
Manhattanville built up a 47-42 lead early in the frame before nine straight points put the Hawks up by a 51-47 score with 14:21 remaining. The Hartwick lead was two at 55-53 before the Valiants made their run, a 16-6 stretch that put the team up 69-61 with 8:18 to go. Haggerty bookended the run with a three-point play and a three-pointer as part of his eight points, while Smith had three key buckets as well during the game-changing spurt.
 
Hartwick got back within two at 78-76 after two Kevin Townes free throws with 3:51 remaining, but the Valiant defense conceded only one bucket the rest of the way. In all, Manhattanville limited Hartwick to one field goal and five free throws over the final 5:30 of the game, as the Valiants defended excellently against the high-powered Hartwick offense.
 
The Valiants dominated in the paint, outscoring the Hawks 50-26 near the basket while also posting a 38-29 edge in defensive rebounds.
 
Manhattanville will face off against host Juniata in the championship game tomorrow at 4 p.m., as the Valiants look to knock the Eagles from the ranks of the unbeaten.