PURCHASE, N.Y. - Sophomore Kayleah McGuire (Somers, N.Y./Somers) dropped a new career-high for the second consecutive game but it was not enough as DeSales used a huge third-quarter to erase a 14-point halftime lead for Manhattanville as the Valiants fell 69-50 in MAC Freedom play Wednesday evening inside Kennedy Gymnasium.

McGuire scored a game-high 23 points for the Valiants, increasing her career-high by three points after scoring 20 in the win over Hunter College Monday evening. Senior Brittany Deieso (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster) and sophomore Ivy Coles (Freeport, N.Y./Christ The King) each scored 11 points in the loss. DeSales was led by Kaitlin Kelly with 16 points in the win.

The Valiants started off the game using stellar defense to shut down DeSales to begin the game. Using a double-team in the post, Manhattanville held Bulldogs leading scorer Morgan McCollian without a point in the first 20 minutes of action on 0-4 shooting from the field. It was back and forth the first eight minutes of action, with the score tied 12-12 before the Bulldogs used back-to-back buckets by Molly Jansco and Kaitlin Kelly to take a four-point lead with less than one minute remaining in the quarter. A late free-throw by McGuire made it a three-point game at the first break.

The second quarter was a huge turning point in the first half as Manhattanville held DeSales scoreless for the quarter, causing five turnovers and holding the Bulldogs to 0-16 shooting from the field. On the other side of the court, Manhattanville shot 38 percent (5-of-13) including three three-pointers.  A 17-0 run during that stretch gave Manhattanville a 30-16 lead at the halftime break.

The Bulldogs came storming back in the third quarter however, as their high powered offense found their stroke in the second half, scoring 53 points to just 20 for the Valiants. DeSales used a 14-6 run over the first 3:39 to cut the deficit down to six points, and continued to chip away, tying the score at 42-42 on a two free-throws from Bridget Walsh. A late free-throw by freshman Nancy Caballero (Henderson, Nev./Liberty) gave the crimson and black a one-point lead at the final break. 

The Bulldogs took their first lead since the 9:53 mark of the second quarter when Kaitlin Kelly banked in a layup 21 seconds into the final stanza. The layup sparked a 10-0 run to begin the fourth for DeSales as the visitors took a 52-43 lead with 7:10 to play. The DeSales offense proved to be too much for Manhattanville late as the Valiants came up short despite the big second quarter, falling 69-50.

With the loss, Manhattanville slips to 2-7 in MAC Freedom play, while DeSales remains atop the conference standings at 8-1. The Valiants are back in action this weekend when they travel to Wilkes for a 1:00 pm tip-off.