PURCHASE, N.Y. – Entering the night against the team with the second-best record in the Skyline Conference was a tall task for the Manhattanville College men's basketball team. However, not only did the Valiants remain unphased against the College at Old Westbury, but they started off the night with a monster 29-6 run with 8:26 left in the first half and never looked back en route to the 75-51 victory over the Panthers in front of a raucous crowd at Kennedy Gymnasium Thursday night, Jan. 30.
 
The Crimson and White (12-6, 7-2 Skyline) are now riding a five-game winning streak and have already surpassed their win total from each of the previous three seasons. The Valiants dominated the Panthers (11-7, 7-2 Skyline) in every aspect of the game on Thursday, most notably on the defensive end. Manhattanville held Old Westbury to a miniscule 19.0 percent shooting performance as a team (12-of-63), while making 41.9 percent of their own shots (26-of-62).
 
Sophomore Jake Dunn (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) had his best game of the season for the Valiants, leading all players with 20 points. He also added four assists, three boards and a steal during his 32 minutes on the floor. Junior Mike Granda (Monroe Township, N.J./St. Joseph) and senior JoJo Cobbs (Elmsford, N.Y./Briarcliff) were the other two Valiants in double figures, as each chipped in 15 points – Cobbs also notched a season-high nine boards, a team-best five assists and a block. Lastly, freshman big man Khari Taylor (Bronx, N.Y./St. Raymond), who played just 18 minutes due to foul trouble, still manufactured eight points and led all players with 12 rebounds.
 
Following a 40-point first half, Manhattanville kept the pedal down and, after maintaining that lead, busted the game open with a 27-point advantage on two occasions. First following a pair of free throws made by Dunn with 13:17 left to make it 55-28, and again less than a minute later on a pair of made free throws by Cobbs to make it 57-30 with 12:36 remaining. The Panthers would chip away slightly at the Valiants lead, making it a 15-point game at its closest with 3:27 on the clock, but the home squad closed out the night on a 13-4 run to cement the big conference victory.
 
The Crimson and White now have one day to prepare for their biggest game of the season thus far when they travel to the Bronx on Saturday night, Feb. 1, for an 8:30 p.m. meeting with #24 Yeshiva University. The Valiants are one of three teams with a 7-2 record in Skyline play, while the Maccabees are the lone unbeaten at 9-0.