KINGS POINT, N.Y. – Tipping off a three game week, the Manhattanville College women's basketball team improved to a perfect 5-0 to begin the year with a 68-59 win at Merchant Marine on Tuesday night. The victory, Manhattanville's first at Kings Point since 2004, makes the Valiants 3-0 against Skyline Conference opponents this season.

The win was also the 140^th for Head Coach Kate Vlahakis on the Valiant sideline. The victory brings Vlahakis into a tie with Larry Holten as the winningest coach in program history. Vlahakis surpassed one of Holten's records last season with the most games coached in program history and will have an opportunity to move atop the record book later this week.

Following her double-double at Sarah Lawrence last week guiding the Valiants to victory, Julianna Kascic (North Bergen, N.J./Paramus Catholic) put together another strong performance to lead Manhattanville. The senior forward scored a career-high 22 points while leading the Valiants on the boards with eight rebounds. Six of Kascic's rebounds came off the offensive glass, bringing her season total to 20 offensive rebounds. Jamison Agostino (Stony Brook, N.Y./Ward Melville) scored a season-high 18, her fourth game reaching double figures, while Angela Downey (Lyndhurst, N.J./Lyndhurst) scored 12, all coming on shots from beyond the arc.

Agostino would finish behind Kascic on the battle of the boards for the night as the junior finished with five rebounds while adding three assists and a pair of blocks. Niyona Smith (Baltimore, MD/Concordia Prep) added four boards while notching a blocked shot of her own. Livi Correia (North Attleboro, Mass./Worcester Academy) finished with a team-leading four assists, moving into the team's lead for the season with 13, while Amanda Orlando (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) had three steals to pace the team.

In a closely-fought contest, the Valiants would ultimately take control in the third quarter. Prefacing the third was a tight first half that seemingly saw both teams match each other basket for basket. After three different tied scores over the first five and a half minutes, Merchant Marine would go ahead 9-6 on the back of a layup and a free throw by Grace Jackson. Smith responded for the Valiants with a 6-0 run orchestrated by herself, sinking a jumper ahead of back-to-back layups. A Kascic layup and a Downey three pointer gave the Valiants their biggest lead of the early going at 17-11 with a minute to play before Bryanna Buchanan-Cummings hit a jumper followed by a 1-for-2 trip to the free throw line at the end of the quarter to cut the Valiant lead down to three, 17-14.

A Downey three to begin the second quarter reestablished Manhattanville's six point lead. After Kristen Scrobola (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas High School) hit a free throw to put the Valiants up 23-16, the Mariners went on a 10-2 run to take their first lead of the frame. The teams would trade leads three times over the closing two minutes of the half, but Agostino would strike last with a layup before Kaira Winston's buzzer beater attempt was off the mark for the home team, sending the Valiants into the half up 31-30.

Out of the locker room, Manhattanville shot .588 in the third quarter, including a 60 percent success rate from deep to finally gain breathing room. Agostino got things started by sinking a pair of three pointers on the team;s first two shots of the half to begin a 10-2 run. An Agostino layup put Manhattanville up 41-32 with 6:35 left in the third. USMMA pulled back within five before Downey connected from beyond the arc, putting the guests up 44-36. The Mariners refused to go away, as every basket hit by the Valiants was followed up soon after by points from the home squad. Lauren Hunter brought Merchant Marine back to within five with a layup heading into the final minute of the third, but the Valiants would use five unanswered points to close out the frame to go up 56-46 entering the final ten minutes of play.

While the Valiants went just 2-for-8 from the filed in the final quarter, both baskets would be good from beyond the arc while Manhattanville drew 14 free throw attempts to help close out the game. A Downey three and an Orlando free throw put Manhattanville up 60-47. The lead remained in double digits until Madison Demos hit a free throw for the Mariners to cut the lead down to 62-53. Agostino fired back with the team's final field goal of the night, a three pointer that essentially put the game on ice. Merchant Marine would hit three baskets over the final 3:45 but that would be all for the Mariners as the Valiants secured their fifth-straight victory.

Up Next
The Valiants will look to secure Coach Vlahakis' historic 141^st win when they return to action on Thursday. Manhattanville hosts Skyline foe Yeshiva at 6 p.m.

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