WILKES-BARRE, PA – Sophomore Sarah Coutu (Cranston, R.I./Cranston East) poured in a career-high 31 points, leading three Valiants in double figures, as the Manhattanville College women's basketball team held off a hot-shooting Wilkes University for an 81-72 Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom victory over the Colonels Wednesday, Jan. 30 from the Marts Center.

Coutu finished with nine field goals, including four three-pointers, and nine free throws, becoming the first Valiant over the 30-point mark since Ashley Raaf '16 dropped 32 on Feb. 18, 2016. Senior Kayleah McGuire (Somers, N.Y./Somers) finished with 18 points and sophomore Spencer Shore (Boca Raton, Fla./West Boca Raton) stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, seven rebounds and a game-high five assists for Manhattanville (15-4, 6-3 MACF). Freshman Ali Mikaele (Silver Spring, Md./St. Andrew's Episcopal School) missed a double-double for the second straight game by one field goal, ending her night with eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Gab Giordano finished with 18 rebounds and 10 points for Wilkes (7-13, 3-6 MACF), who shot 46.8 percent from the floor, its sixth-best performance of the season.

The first quarter went back and forth with each team holding the lead for more than three and a half minutes. Wilkes opened the game with a three-pointer, but then went scoreless for 3:42 as Manhattanville grabbed a 7-3 lead on a three-pointer by Shore and a lay-up and long jumper from Coutu. Wilkes eventually grabbed a short-lived 12-9 lead before Elting tied the game with a three-pointer. Wilkes re-opened a 16-12 lead, but a Coutu three and short jumper from Pemberton put the Valiants back on top. The Colonels took an 18-17 lead with 53 seconds left in the quarter, but a Coutu four-point play started a 13-2 Manhattanville run that extended well into the second quarter as the Valiants opened a double-digit lead. The Valiants ended the opening quarter 4-for-6 from three-point territory.

From taking their initial double-digit lead, the Valiants held between a nine and thirteen-point cushion for the majority of the second quarter. Wilkes closed the margin to 39-32 with 2:30 left in the half, but Manhattanville, as it did at the end of the first quarter, ended the half with six straight points, carrying a 45-32 lead to the locker room.

Wilkes made six of its first eight and seven of its first 11 shots in the third quarter, coming all the way back to tie the game at 51 at the 2:44 mark. Manhattanville responded with a 9-0 run, courtesy of a Shore three-pointer and six straight points from McGuire. Giordano cut the Colonels' deficit to 60-53 at the end of third with a lay-up in the final 10 seconds.

Wilkes again rallied in the fourth, three times making it a one-possession game, but Manhattanville pulled away late with 19 of the game's final 31 points, started by an 8-0 run after Wilkes made it 62-60 with 6:32 to play.

Manhattanville, which moved into sole possession of third place in the MAC Freedom standings with Eastern's win over King's (Pa.), returns to Kennedy Gymnasium Saturday, Feb. 2 for a 1 p.m. tip with the Misericordia University Cougars. Manhattanville would tie the Cougars for second place in the MAC Freedom with a win.