SCRANTON, Pa. – The Manhattanville College men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the 2022-23 campaign on Saturday afternoon, falling to host Scranton in the championship match of the Hilton Scranton Invitational, 85-50. The loss drops the Valiants to 2-1 overall on the year.

In their lowest offensive output of the young season, no Valiant scorer was able to reach double figures. Jackson Leech (Chicago, Ill./Von Steuben) and Tommy Lotito (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) each had a team-high eight points while Benjamin Merritt (West Hartford, Conn./Kingswood Oxford) and Jake Dunn (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) both finished with six. Manhattanville was held to a .339 success rate from the field on the day, compared to Scranton's .561 shooting percentage.

From the opening tip, the Royals were in control, going on a 17-0 run through the opening 3:55. The Valiants would finally get on the board on a Dunn three pointer 4:47 into the half. The huge Scranton run to open up the contest had Manhattanville behind the eight ball all day long. With 10:17 left int the half, a Leech layup and a pair of free throws by Lotito cut the lead back down to single digits for the first time. Scranton was quick to rebuild their lead, going up by as much as 20. Lotito would connect on a layup in the closing seconds to make the score at the half 44-26 in favor of Scranton.

Lotito and Leech scored back-to-back baskets to open up the second half for the Valiants, but Scranton responded with three points by Jackson Danzig and Tahaj Parland to begin an 11-0 run, putting the Royals up 55-30 with 15 minutes remaining in regulation. The Valiants would be unable to cut the lead back below 20 as Scranton shot 57 percent from the field including a 7-for-10 mark from beyond the arc to close out the contest.

The Royals outrebounded Manhattanville, 34-31. Lotito had a team-high four boards while five different Valiants came down with three rebounds a piece in the game.

Following the conclusion of the two-day event, Leech was selected to the All-Tournament Team for the Hilton Scranton Invitational. The senior accounted for 19 total points and six rebounds across the two games. Scranton's Stephen Braunstein earned tournament Most Valuable Player honors following his 17 point performance in the finals.

Up Next
The Valiants return home on Tuesday to host York College at 7 p.m.

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