PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College men's basketball team picked up a much-needed non-conference victory Saturday afternoon, Dec. 1, defeating York College (N.Y.) 92-85 at Kennedy Gymnasium. The Valiants re-enter the win column and now look forward to the beginning of Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom play on a high note.
 
Manhattanville (4-3) trailed the Cardinals (3-4) early, 9-7 with 16:19 to go in the first half, but knotted it up on a layup from sophomore Sean Smith, Jr. (Yonkers, N.Y./Sacred Heart) and never looked back. Smith finished with game-highs in points (26) and rebounds (15) for his second straight double-double and fourth of the season. His 26 points tied the swingman's career high, while the 15 boards were a season best.
 
Smith's layup to tie it at 9-9 at 16:10 in the first began a quick 7-0 run. Rookie guard Jake Dunn (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) drilled a three 35 seconds later and fellow first-year Chris Brown (Miami, Fla./Coral Gables Senior) dropped in a layup at 15:05. Overall, the Valiants were able to stretch their lead to as many as 20 points – junior co-captain JoJo Cobbs (Elmsford, N.Y./Briarcliff) sank a pair of free-throws with 4:55 remaining until halftime – en route to the seven-point win. They led by 20 once again with 5:46 remaining in regulation following a bucket from Cobbs as well.
 
Despite Manhattanville leading by double-digits for the majority of the contest, York did claw back to make it a game late in the second half. The Cardinals went on a 15-3 run, ending at 1:35 in the second, to bring the score to within eight at 85-77. The Valiants were able to hit their free-throws throughout the day, though, finishing nearly 80 percent from the charity stripe. They were even more solid down the stretch, making nearly 87 percent of their foul shots in the second half and staved off the Cardinal comeback attempt and secure the victory.
 
Highlights:

• Smith added four assists and three steals to his day. He was also an efficient 12-of-14 from the foul line.
• Dunn finished with a season-best 17 points and added five boards, two assists and a pair of steals.
• Cobbs' four-game streak of 20-plus-point performances came to end, but the junior has still scored in double digits every game this season. He finished the day with 13 points, three steals and three assists.
• Sophomore guard Mike Granda (Monroe Township, N.J./St. Joseph) was 8-of-10 from the line and finished with 11 points and five assists in a team-high 31 minutes.
• Brown finished with nine points and seven rebounds, while senior co-captain Mike Ryan (Bronx, N.Y./Arlington) chipped in eight points, three assists and two steals. Brown also contributed a season-high four blocked shots.

Manhattanville kicks off MAC Freedom play this Wednesday night, Dec. 5, on the road at Delaware Valley University. Tip-off in Doylestown, Pa., is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.