BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College men's basketball team, led by an efficient performance from junior guard
Mike Granda (Monroe Township, N.J./St. Joseph), picked up the victory on the road Tuesday night, Nov. 19, over Pratt Institute by a score of 92-68. The Valiants have now opened with 90-plus points in two consecutive season-openers.
The Crimson and White (1-0) allowed the Cannoneers (2-2) to start off the contest with a three-point bucket to go down 3-0, but that would be the only time all night in which the road team trailed. Granda fired back almost immediately with a made three-pointer of his own – the co-captain finished 4-of-6 from long range and 8-of-13 from the floor, adding a free throw, for a game-high 21 points – to tie it up just 1:03 into the first half. That started an 8-0 run for the Valiants, with Granda's first three sandwiched with another trifecta around a fastbreak lay-in from sophomore guard
Jake Dunn (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) – Manhattanville led 8-3 at 17:31 in the first.
Neither squad scored for nearly three minutes before Pratt struck to stop the Valiants' run at 14:56, but senior guard
JoJo Cobbs (Elmsford, N.Y./Briarcliff) drained a three just six seconds later to make it 11-5. Manhattanville eventually maintained a six-point lead after 20 minutes of play and went into the locker room ahead 40-34. Granda and Cobbs had combined for half of the Valiants' points at the break, with each sinking a pair of threes and a pair of two-point buckets as well. A total of 12 Valiants saw minutes in the first half.
In the second, the Crimson and White stretched out their lead by another 18 for the eventual 24-point victory, as an additional three players saw some minutes – overall 15 Valiants hit the court in the season-opener. Pratt nearly tied up the game toward the end of the first half, but Manhattanville closed it out on a 5-0 run. The Valiants extended that with a second-half-opening jumper from Granda to put his squad on a 7-0 run this time and give themselves an eight-point lead.
The Cannoneers got within four points a couple times early on in the second, but the Valiants finally broke free on a 14-2 run to take a double-digit lead. Manhattanville eventually stretched that lead to as many as 27 points thanks to a fastbreak lay-in from sophomore forward
C.J. Harris (Elmsford, N.Y./Alexander Hamilton) to make it 80-52 with 5:29 remaining. Pratt trimmed that lead slightly in the waning minute of the contest, but the Valiants closed out the game and chalked one up in the win column.
Highlights:
- Manhattanville's reserves dominated all night, outscoring Pratt's bench 48-15, including 33-12 in the second half.
- The Valiants also controlled the paint throughout and finished with the 38-16 advantage in scoring underneath.
- Freshman forward Khari Taylor (Bronx, N.Y./St. Raymond) saw 13 minutes and scored nine points in his collegiate debut. He was a perfect 3-of-3 from the floor, was 3-of-4 from the line and pulled down four rebounds.
- Another pair of rookies in guard Ed Minaya (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y./Archbishop Stepinac) and forward Jackson Leech (Chicago, Ill./Von Steuben) each finished with eight points in their debuts. Leech also snagged four boards.
- Sophomore guard Matt Bielenda (Wethersfield, Conn./Xavier) led all players with seven rebounds – all defensive – and five points in 17 minutes.
Manhattanville resumes play when it returns to Kennedy Gymnasium for the first time this season over the weekend for the A.J. Buchanan Classic – the seventh annual. The two-time defending champion Valiants play the second game of the night on Friday, Nov. 22, at 8:00 p.m. versus Wesley College, while Morrisville State College and Trinity College kick things off in the first game at 6:00 p.m. The consolation and championship games take place at 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., respectively, on Saturday afternoon. Nov. 23.
