PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College men's basketball team suffered their first loss of the season in the opening round of the 2021 AJ Buchanan Classic on Friday, falling to Brooklyn 55-54. The loss drops the Valiants to 2-1 overall to begin the year.

After chipping away at Manhattanville's 14 point lead through all of the second half, Brooklyn drew a foul on a last-second shot attempt that sent the Bulldogs to the line down by one. Elisha Park sunk both of his free throw attempts as Tommy Lotito's (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) full court buzzer beater heave was off target and the Valiants took their first hit in the loss column.

The 54 points was the lowest offensive output by Manhattanville since they February 2020 when the Valiants scored 53 against Mount Saint Mary. Despite the low offensive numbers, Petey Galgano (New Rochelle, N.Y./Wilbraham & Monson Academy (Mass.)) was able to find some success against the Bulldog defense, scoring 14. The senior has now reached double figures in two straight following a 16-point effort against CCNY on Monday.

Galgano was also the Valiants' leading playmaker on the boards, pulling down 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Jake Dunn (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) had seven rebounds, a new season high.

Despite blocking six shots and holding Brooklyn to a .276 shooting percentage from the field, Manhattanville struggled to find a sustained rhythm on the offensive side of the court. The Valiants were just 2-for-23 from beyond the arc, including going 0-for-8 in the second half. Manhattanville shot 44.8 percent as a team from the field, their lowest mark of the season so far.

The tone of what was to come from both offenses was apparent from the early going, as just four total points were scored in the opening seven minutes. Despite the slow start, the Valiants were able to build out to a 10-1 lead with 10:45 left in the first half. The Bulldogs would show their first signs of offensive life with a seven point run to cut the Valiants' lead down to one at 17-16. Manhatanville responded in turn with nine unanswered points of their own before Brooklyn would net the final four points of the half, giving the Crimson and White a 26-20 lead.

The halftime adjustments seemed to work out in the home team's favor, as Manhattanville opened up the half on a 10-2 run. The Valiants would build the lead up to 14 at two separate occasions, with the second coming with just over 11 minutes left to play. After the two teams traded baskets, Brooklyn went on a 15-4 run, fueled by a 6-for-7 stretch from the free throw line, to cut the Valiants lead down to one and set up the game-winning free throw attempts.

Up Next
The AJ Buchanan Classic concludes tomorrow as the Valiants will face off against Trinity in the consolation match scheduled for 4:00 p.m.