PURCHASE, N.Y. – In a weekend conference tilt, the Manhattanville College women's basketball team struggled to find offensive success against SUNY Old Westbury on Saturday afternoon. The Valiants were bested by the Panthers by a final of 59-49, dropping to 11-4 on the season and 7-3 in Skyline Conference play.

The Valiants' 49-point output was the team's lowest since Feb. 11, 2020, when Manhattanville scored just 43 in a loss to Merchant Marine. The Crimson and White shot just 29 percent from the field in Saturday's contest, the team's second-worst shooting performance of the year, while having a success rate of .063 from deep, the lowest three pointer rate in a game this year.

Niyona Smith (Towson, MD/Concordia Prep) was one of the few Valiants able to find consistent success, using her height to her advantage under the rim en route to a 19-point performance. The rookie was 9-of-18 from the field and pulled down seven rebounds to lead Manhattanville on the glass. Carmen Rosemond (New Haven, Conn./Hill Regional Career) set a new season high with nine points, while Ali Mikaele (Silver Spring, Md./St. Andrew's Episcopal School) and Claudia Valentin (Cambridge, Mass./Cambridge Rindge & Latin School) each ended the day with six.

The Old Westbury zone defense gave the Valiants shooters fits all day long, struggling to connect on passes and move the ball around on the offensive side of the court. Despite the shooting woes, Manhattanville was able to stay within the contest all the way until the late going in the fourth.

The biggest lead of the first half was a six point advantage in favor of the Panthers in the opening quarter, as neither team was able to put together a sustained run to build momentum and separation. Cherish Francis' three put the Panthers up, but three straight baskets by the home squad erased the early hole. In the second, Manhattanville would stake claim to a five point advantage, their biggest lead of the day. But as was the case on the other side of the court in the first, the trailing team put together a string of unanswered points to swing the advantage back the other way. When all was said and done through 20, Old Westbury led 29-25.

Manhattanville played catchup for all of the third, finally able to even the score at 35-35 with 2:23 left in the quarter of a layup from Smith. There would be just one more basket in the remainder of the quarter, a layup by Old Westbury's Ja'Nya Flash, sending the Panthers into the fourth with a two point lead. It was here that the Panthers took charge, shooting 90 percent in the final ten minutes, including hitting on all three of their three pointer attempts. With the score tied 42-42, Old Westbury went on a 17-3 run. The Valiants were unable to do much facing a 14 point hole with a minute to play, falling for a second consecutive game.

Up Next
The Valiants will aim to stop the skid on the road on Wednesday, traveling to the College of Mount Saint Vincent for a 6 p.m. tip.

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