PURCHASE, N.Y. – Three scorers reached double figures on Tuesday night as the Manhattanville College men's basketball team collected a 77-70 win in Kennedy Gymnasium in front of the Valiant faithful. Men's hoops is off to a 3-1 start to the year following the victory.
The trio of
Tommy Lotito (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's),
Jackson Leech (Chicago, Ill./Von Steuben) and
Jake Dunn (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) led the way, accounting for 47 of the team's 77 points. Lotito, who entered the night as the squad's leading scorer, hung 18 on the Cardinals with an 8-for-12 night from the floor. The senior is now averaging 16.3 points per contest through the early going. Leech's 17 points matched his season best from the opener against John Jay, while Dunn added 12 in his second game reaching double digits this season.
York did out rebound the Valiants by the slimmest of margins, 41-40, but the Valiants were able to win the defensive board battle 32-26. Leech and Dunn's seven rebounds led the way for the Valiants, with Leech collecting a team-high four caroms off the offensive glass.
Assist wise, the 20 helpers dished out by the Valiants marked a new season high. Lotito's five led the way, followed by four assists from Dunn and three by
Andrew Saint-Louis (Norwalk, Conn./Notre Dame Fairfield).
The team's traded the lead eight times over the opening 3:57, seeing York take a 9-8 advantage. The Cardinals scored the first consecutive baskets of the night as a Devine Chisholm three gave the guests the largest lead of the early going at four points, 12-8. The Valiants would even the score and take the lead on back-to-back threes by
Jack Scanlon (Pearl River, NY/Pearl River High School) and
Jake Dunn (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell), going up 20-17 wit 12:18 left in the half. After four more lead changes, the Valiants got their first long run of the night, scoring 14 straight points to pull ahead 37-25 with 3:25 remaining. The teams would both hit one final shot in the half, sending the Valiants to the locker room up 39-27.
Manhattanville's lead climbed as high as 22 in the second half. After the Cardinals pulled back within nine, the Valiants went on a 12-0 run to go up 57-36 with 14 minutes remaining. Saint-Louis would help the Valiant lead reach its apex with 12:15 remaining with a jumper. Down but not out, York roared back with 11 unanswered points to make it a game once again with 10 minutes to play, trailing 48-59. Dunn ended the run with a layup, Manhattanville's first basket in two and a half minutes. The Valiants would get back up to a 20 point advantage following an old-fashioned three point play by Leech sinking a free throw after getting fouled on a slam dunk, 74-54. The Cardinals went on a scoring frenzy, outscoring the Valiants 16-3 over the final 2:40, but it was too little too late for the visiting squad as Manhattanville held on for the 77-70 win.
Up Next
The Valiants will host the ninth annual A.J. Buchanan Classic on Friday. The two-day tournament will see Gwynedd Mercy and Trinity play a neutral site game ahead of the Valiants hosting William Paterson at 8:00 p.m.
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