PURCHASE, N.Y. – In a rematch of the 2022 Skyline Conference Championship game, the Manhattanville College men's basketball team gave the visiting Yeshiva University everything they had before ultimately falling 85-81. The loss drops the Valiants to 4-3 on the year, beginning conference play 0-1.

Jackson Leech (Chicago, Ill./Von Steuben) had a career night, posting his first collegiate double-double with personal bests of 26 points and 10 rebounds. The senior went 12-for-19 from the field, connecting on a pair of shots from beyond the arc, while collecting three offensive caroms. Tommy Lotito (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) joined Leech in surpassing the 20 point plateau, scoring 22 on an 8-for-15 shooting night. Lotito was especially effective at the free throw line where he went 6-for-7. It was the third time this season that Lotito scored 22 points as the Valiants' leading scorer is now averaging 16.9 points per game. Rounding out the top scorers was Jake Dunn (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) who scored 13 for his fourth game of the year in double figures.

Ryan Giordano (West Nyack, N.Y./Clarkstown South) finished second on the team in rebounds for the night with five, adding a pair of assists, a block and a steal. Both Lotito and Dunn collected four boards, with Lotito adding a team-high three assists.

The Maccabees shot 55 percent in the first half, including a .467 mark from deep, to take a 44-37 lead into the break. A 9-0 Yeshiva run gave the visiting team an 11-4 advantage through the opening six minutes. Leech put an end to Manhattanville's scoring drought with a jumper, but a Matan Zucker layup and a Roy Itcovichi three gave Yeshiva a 10 point advantage. Leech and Zevi Samet traded three pointers before the Valiants got back-to-back baskets from Lotito and Giordano to cut the Yeshiva lead down to six. The Valiants would claw back to within four following a pair of free throws by Xavier Kistoo-Miles (Spring Valley, N.Y./Spring Valley) with 8:16 remaining, 23-19. Yeshiva responded soon after, reclaiming their double digit lead with a 19-7 run to move the score to 42-26 with two and a half minutes remaining. The Valiants responded with one more punch before the buzzer, using an 11-2 run to close out the half and get back into the game, 44-37.

The Valiants continued their run to begin the second half, scoring the first six points out of the locker room to cut Yeshiva's lead down to a single point. Leech would tie the game up with a statement dunk before Lotito hit a pair of free throws and a layup in the following possession to take a 51-47 lead. While the Maccbees would pull within a basket on five separate occasions, the Valiants followed up with a basket on the other side of the floor to protect their lead. After Itcovichi connected from deep to pull Yeshiva within one, a 6-0 Valiant run put the home squad ahead by seven, 66-59, at the 8:23 mark.

Manhattanville continued to hold a seven point advantage following a Dunn three pointer with five and a half minutes to go in regulation. The Maccabees would finally find their offensive footing as a Samet three began an 11-2 Yeshiva run that put the visiting team back ahead 75-73 with just over three minutes remaining. Lotito evened the game back up before Oren Betesh hit a shot from beyond the arc and Itcovichi connected on a jumper to put Yeshiva ahead by five. Giordano hit a free throw to pull back within four, but with under a minute remaining, Samet hit a three from well beyond the arc to knock Manhattanville on their heels, trailing 83-76. Dunn would convert an old-fashioned three point play before an Andrew Saint-Louis (Norwalk, Conn./Notre Dame Fairfield) steal led to a Maccabee foul, sending Lotito to the line where he hit both shots, making the score 83-81 with 12 ticks remaining. The Valiants put on the press on the ensuing inbound, and while the pressure looked like it would result in a 10 second violation for Yeshiva, the Maccabees were just able to get the ball over and draw a foul, sending Samet to the line where he hit the two free throws to secure the narrow win for Yeshiva.

Up Next
The Valiants are on the road on Friday night for a non-conference tilt against Marywood University.

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