PURCHASE, N.Y. – Despite a strong performance from freshman Sean Smith (Yonkers, N.Y./Sacred Heart) and a commanding edge on the boards, the Manhattanville College men's basketball team came up just short in a 64-60 defeat to King's (Pa.) College in a MAC Freedom matchup on Saturday afternoon at Kennedy Gym.
 
Smith was huge for Manhattanville (7-12, 1-7 MAC Freedom) on the day, matching his season high with a game-best 21 points and doubling his previous best output on the glass with 18 rebounds. Senior Alex Tuci (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) also had a big double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
 
The Valiants recorded a 48-24 edge in rebounds, including a 16-2 edge in offensive boards, and as a result recorded 23 second-chance points to just two for King's (8-11, 4-4 MAC Freedom). To counter the rebounding disparity, the Monarchs forced 24 turnovers to Manhattanville's 12 and converted those miscues into 28 points at the other end.
 
In contrast to the last two contests, Manhattanville got off to a better start on Saturday, as the score was knotted at nine 4:10 into the game after a Smith layup. The home team then went on a 17-5 run over the next 8:34 to take a 24-14 lead with 8:01 left, with Tuci scoring eight points as part of 8-of-12 shooting for Manhattanville.
 
Although King's came back to erase the lead, the Valiants still went into the half on top following a last-second jumper from sophomore JoJo Cobbs (Elmsford, N.Y./Briarcliff) that put the home team up 36-34. Smith already had his double-double going into the locker rooms with 11 points and 11 boards, as the Valiants shot 51.7 percent (15 of 29) from the field over the first 20 minutes.
 
After the Monarchs scored the first six points of the second half, the Valiants responded with a 12-0 run to regain the lead and held an advantage for much of the frame, leading by as many as nine points after a three from sophomore Cory Madden (Woodside, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy Memorial) with 6:23 left made it a 57-48 game. However, that was the last field goal of the game for the home team, as Manhattanville went 0-for-4 from the field with four turnovers the rest of the way. King's, conversely, hit on 4-of-7 attempts and went 6-for-6 from the line over that span to escape with a win.
 
The Valiant offense went cold for much of the second half, shooting only 37.0 percent (10 of 27) from the field, including just 1-of-9 from beyond the arc, as well as just 3-of-8 from the line. For the game, Manhattanville hit only 8-of-20 free throws (40.0 percent), which eventually made the difference in the game.
 
Manhattanville will return to action on Wednesday, when the Valiants travel to DeSales University for an 8 p.m. tipoff with the Bulldogs.