WILKES-BARRE, PA – In their final game of the 2018-19 regular season, the Manhattanville College Valiants built some momentum heading to the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom Tournament with a 76-71 over the King's (Pa.) College Monarchs from McGrane Gymnasium.

All five starters finished with at least eight points for the Valiants, while all seven players in the rotation finished with at least four. Senior Kayleah McGuire (Somers, N.Y./Somers) led the charge with 19 points and six rebounds, sophomore Sarah Coutu (Cranston, R.I./Cranston East) added 16 points and eight rebounds, and sophomore Spencer Shore (Boca Raton, Fla./West Boca Raton) and freshman Ali Mikaele (Silver Spring, Md./St. Andrew's Episcopal School) each finished with 11; Mikaele added eight rebounds and a game-high five assists. Sophomore Amanda Pemberton (Las Vegas, Nev./Liberty) finished with eight points and a career-high 13 rebounds – 10 of them on the offensive glass – for Manhattanville (17-7, 8-6 MACF). Alexis Steeber had 20 points and six rebounds for King's (12-13, 6-8 MACF).

After ending the first quarter up a single point, 16-15, King's opened a 31-19 lead in the second quarter, but the Valiants closed the margin to 35-34 at the half. The Valiants run continued into the second half, as Manhattanville opened a 44-37 lead, all part of a 25-6 run between the second and third quarters. After King's closed the deficit and eventually tied the score once again, Manhattanville took a 55-52 lead to the fourth following a tie-breaking three from Coutu.

Another three from Coutu gave Manhattanville a 65-58 lead with 5:52 to play, but King's rallied for a 69-67 lead with 1:23 to play. A three-point play by Mikaele put the Valiants back on top 70-68 just 13 seconds later. McGuire and Shore followed, each making three of her four free throws down the stretch, while King's managed a single lay-up over the final minute of play for the final margin.

Manhattanville's quest for its first MAC Freedom Tournament Championship starts Wednesday, Feb. 20, when the third-seeded Valiants travel to Dallas, PA for a tournament semifinal with the second-seeded Misericordia University Cougars.

The winner of that game will face the winner of top-seeded DeSales University and the fourth-seeded Monarchs, who clinched the final spot following losses by both Delaware Valley University and Eastern University. The semifinal winners will meet Saturday, Feb. 23 in the conference championship game at the home court of the highest remaining seed.