WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Manhattanville College men's basketball team faced Ursinus College in a back-and-fourth affair Sunday night, Jan. 5, but the Valiants fell to the Bears 86-82 in a matchup that needed overtime for a decision. The Crimson and White and Ursinus were meeting in the consolation game as part of the College Park Holiday Inn Tournament, hosted by Catholic University. Junior Mike Granda (Monroe Township, N.J./St. Joseph), who led the Valiants in scoring during both games this weekend, earned the team's All-Tournament accolade.
 
Manhattanville (5-4) and the Bears (7-4) traded the lead back and forth several times in the first, with Ursinus taking the lead in the middle of the half. The Valiants led in the ladder stages before the break, but the Bears managed a three-point 40-37 lead after 20 minutes of play. Both squads were extremely efficient from the floor, each shooting above 40 percent from the field in the half. Senior JoJo Cobbs (Elmsford, N.Y./Briarcliff) chipped in nine points, sophomore Jake Dunn (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) added seven and Granda was a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. As a team, the Valiants shot 38.5 percent from long range in the first half.
 
The Crimson and White were able to take control for a good while in the second half, and thanks to an 8-0 run in the middle of the action, were able to take their largest lead of the game at eight points at 64-56 with 8:37 remaining in regulation. Cobbs kicked off the run with a lay-in down low, followed by a three from Granda. Following a timeout, rookie Khari Taylor (Bronx, N.Y./St. Raymond) was able to snag the defensive board, which eventually led to another long-range bucket from Granda.
 
However, Ursinus was able to claw all the way back to within three points with just seconds remaining, and eventually tied the game up at 72-72 thanks to a three in the waning moments of regulation – 0:04 left – to send the game to overtime. The Bears outscored the Valiants 14-10 in the extra period to come away with the tournament consolation victory.
 
Highlights:

• Granda led the Valiants with 20 points. He made six field goals on the night – all from beyond the arc – and chipped in two free throws. He also added four assists, three rebounds and a game-high three steals.
• Dunn finished with 19 points on an 8-of-19 shooting performance and added four boards, two steals and a helper before fouling out late in the contest.
• Cobbs chipped in 17 points to go with four boards before fouling out late as well.
• Sophomore Petey Galgano (New Rochelle, N.Y./Wilbraham & Monson Academy (Mass.)) once again led Manhattanville in rebounds, pulling down a game-high 10 boards to go with seven points, a team-best five assists and a steal.
• Down low, Taylor and fellow frontcourt member sophomore Chris Brown (Miami, Fla./Coral Gables Senior) each finished with six points. Brown added six boards, two assists and a block in the start, while Taylor chipped in four boards, one block and an assist in a season-high 29 minutes of the bench.

Up next for the Valiants – after 12 seasons away – they make their long awaited return to Skyline Conference play. Manhattanville will travel up to Newburgh, N.Y., to face Mount Saint Mary College on Wednesday night, Jan. 8, for an 8:00 p.m. tip. The Crimson and White own the 23-17 all-time advantage over the Knights, though MSMC won last year's non-conference meeting – also in Newburgh – by a score of 73-68.