FITCHBURG, Mass. – Tipping off a new season, the Manhattanville College women's basketball team earned an 83-44 road win over Fitchburg State University on Tuesday night. The Valiants will now begin their sixth-straight season with a 1-0 record.
Faith Johnson-Desilvia (Riverhead, N.Y./Riverhead) led the scoring with 20 points in the opener, one of five Valiants to reach double-figure points. The senior was a perfect 2-for-2 from beyond the arc and sank all eight of her free throw attempts. Johnson-Desilvia's classmate
Claudia Valentin (Cambridge, Mass./Cambridge Rindge & Latin School) added 18 points with a team-high seven field goals, while
Ali Mikaele (Silver Spring, Md./St. Andrew's Episcopal School) scored 13, going 7-for-8 from the charity stripe.
The Valiants had 12 different players collect a rebound in the contest combinding for 44 boards.
Niyona Smith (Towson, MD/Concordia Prep) led the play on the glass with six rebounds, while Johnson-Dsilvia, Valentin,
Madison Fields (Grantsville, Utah/Grantsville) and
Jamison Agostino (Stony Brook, N.Y./Ward Melville) each collected four en route to the win.
Manhattanville tried to find some distance through all of the first, but the Eagles were able to hang tight for most of the quarter. The visiting squad ended the final two minutes of the period with five of the final eight points to head into the first break with a 21-15 lead, but it was the second quarter where the Valiants roared to life. Manhattanville opened the quarter with seven unanswered points in the first 71 seconds as part of a 25-6 scoring advantage in the period. Johnson-Desilvia and Valentin combined to go 4-for-5 from the field across the second quarter, combining for 13 total points. Before the buzzer sounded, the Valiants would extend their lead up to 25, heading into the half leading 46-21.
Manhattanville was able to further pull away on the back of a 24-4 scoring margin in the third.
Spencer Shore (Boca Raton, Fla./West Boca Raton) hit three field goals, including a three pointer, to lead the Crimson and White scoring in the period with seven points. An 18-1 run over an almost eight-minute span fully swung things in the favor of the Valiants. While the home squad outscored the Valiants 19-13 in the final quarter, the hole was far too steep for the Eagles to climb out of as Manhattanville cruised to the 39 point win.
Up Next
The Valiants make their home debut on Thursday evening, hosting Five Towns College at 6 p.m. at Kennedy Gymnasium.
VALIANTS on SOCIAL MEDIA For the latest on Manhattanville Athletics, follow the Valiants via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. #GoValiants #RollVals
