BRONXVILLE, N.Y. – In a dominant defensive showing, the Manhattanville College women's basketball team defeating Sarah Lawrence College in their Skyline Conference opener, 81-35, on Tuesday night. With the victory, the Valiants improve to 4-0 to begin the season.

Manhattanville held the Sarah Lawrence offense to single digits in each of the last three quarters. Through four games this season, Manhattanville's opponents are averaging 45 points per game and have only score more than 50 once. The Gryphons shot 25 percent from the floor in the contest, the lowest shooting percentage against the Valiants so far this season.

While the Valiants were shutting down the Sarah Lawrence offense on one side of the court, Manhattanville once again got production from a wide variety of scorers. Six members of the Crimson and White reached double digits offensively. Ali Mikaele's (Silver Spring, Md./St. Andrew's Episcopal School) 17 points led the Valiants on the night and set a new season-high for the senior forward. Niyona Smith (Towson, MD/Concordia Prep) scored 12, while the trio of Spencer Shore (Boca Raton, Fla./West Boca Raton), Faith Johnson-Desilvia (Riverhead, N.Y./Riverhead), and Claudia Valentin (Cambridge, Mass./Cambridge Rindge & Latin School) each sored 11. Madison Fields (Grantsville, Utah/Grantsville) rounded out the top scorers with 10 points, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the field.

Manhattanville dominated the glass, outrebounding Sarah Lawrence 53-26. Fields and Smith pulled down eight boards each, with both grabbing three off the offensive glass. Johnson-Desilvia added six rebounds to her stats for the night.

The game got off to a slow start for both teams, as a three minute scoreless drought midway through the first quarter held the Valiants' lead at 13-4. Shots started to fall over the final three minutes of the quarter, as the Gryphons' Demitra Loukopoulos hit a jumper with three seconds left to narrow Manhattanville's advantage to 19-13.

Despite the struggles in the early going, the Valiants were able to take control on the heels of a 15-0 run. Sarah Lawrence would record just a single basket over the final eight minutes of the half as the Valiants were able to pull ahead by 25, allowing just five points in the quarter.

The Gryphons would continue to be shut down in the second half, scoring 17 total points across the final 20 minutes. The Valiants, conversely, scored 22 points in the third quarter alone and would lead by as many as 49 in the fourth quarter.

Up Next
The Valiants return home on Saturday at 1 p.m. to continue conference play against Saint Joseph's-Long Island.

VALIANTS on SOCIAL MEDIA For the latest on Manhattanville Athletics, follow the Valiants via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. #GoValiants #RollVals