PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College men's basketball team dropped a road matchup to neighboring rival Purchase College Wednesday night, Nov. 28, by a score of 104-92. The Valiants lead the Battle of Anderson Hill 19-8 all-time, but the Panthers have won the last three and five of the last six. This was the final game between the two programs as non-conference opponents, as Manhattanville rejoins the Skyline in the 2019-20 season.
 
The Valiants (3-3) and Purchase (3-2) played very evenly for the first quarter of the game and Manhattanville led by as many as four points at 23-19 with just over 11 minutes to play in the first half. The Panthers then jumped out to a 10-0 run and led 29-23 with 9:15 remaining until the break. Junior guard JoJo Cobbs (Elmsford, N.Y./Briarcliff) combatted that run for the Valiants with a tough three-point play, making the bucket, getting fouled and sinking the free-throw to bring his squad back to within three at 29-26 with 8:37 left in the half.
 
Unfortunately, that was as close as Manhattanville would get for the rest of the game as Purchase closed the half with a 33-18 advantage and led by an overall score of 62-44 at the break.
 
The Panthers led by as many as 20 points several times in the second half, but the Valiants were able to trim that lead to single digits with a strong 18-3 run, bookended by a pair of Cobbs baskets with 9:34 and 5:20 remaining in the second half, respectively – Manhattanville trailed by just five at 89-84. That would be the final push for the Valiants, though, as Purchase staved off the road team's assault for the 12-point win.
 
On the plus side, Cobbs continued to be a man on fire for Manhattanville. The junior co-captain poured in a team-high 26 points on 10-of-19 shooting and added five boards, three assists and a steal. He has now scored 20-plus points in four straight, the longest such streak of his career. Fellow junior guard Cory Madden (Woodside, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy Memorial) registered a career-best 19 points on the night, including a perfect 7-of-7 from the foul line. Sophomore swingman Sean Smith, Jr. (Yonkers, N.Y./Sacred Heart) also chipped in 19 points and a team-best 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Sophomore guard Mike Granda (Monroe Township, N.J./St. Joseph) pitched in with 13 points, including 3-of-5 from long range.
 
The Valiants will look to get back into the win column this weekend when they host York College (N.Y.) at Kennedy Gymnasium Saturday afternoon, Dec. 1., at 2:00 p.m. It is their last tune-up before their final season of Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom play begins next Wednesday night, Dec. 5, on the road in Doylestown, Pa., at Delaware Valley University at 6:00 p.m.