FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College men's basketball team was able to outlast Old Westbury on Saturday afternoon, earning a 61-57 win over the Panthers. The Valiants improve to 12-4 overall on the season and are now 5-2 in Skyline play, continuing to lead the conference's North Division.

For a third-straight outing, it was Tommy Lotito (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) putting up a double-double to lead the team. The senior guard scored 16 on a 5-of-9 day from the field and an 6-for-8 effort at the free throw line while collecting 10 rebounds. Lotito now ranks third in the Skyline in scoring (17.3 points per game), while his 111 rebounds rank fifth amongst the conference.

Andrew Saint-Louis (Norwalk, Conn./Notre Dame Fairfield) extended his streak of double-digit offensive outings to three straight games with his 15 points against Old Westbury. The sophomore attempted a season-high 14 field goals, hitting six including three from beyond the arc. He would add four rebounds, matching his season-best for the fifth tine this season. Jackson Leech (Chicago, Ill./Von Steuben) put up 11 while pulling down seven rebounds.

It was all Manhattanville through the opening 20 minutes as the Valiants shot 44 percent compared to Old Westbury's 13 percent success rate from the floor. The result was Manhattanville taking a 20 point lead into the locker room at the end of the first half. While the Valiants didn't put together a long, sustained run, strings of two to three field goals allowed Manhattanville to methodically build up their advantage.

The Panthers would hit just one field goal over the opening nine minutes as the Valiants went ahead 14-4. Old Westbury snapped the cold streak with a three ball by Carl Damour. The Vals would score six unanswered to reestablish a double-digit lead as a Saint-Louis layup put the guests ahead 22-8 with 6:30 remaining. Over the final 3:25, the Valiants would outscore the Panthers 11-2 to take a 33-13 halftime lead.

Old Westbury looked dead in the water through the first half but would mount a furious comeback effort on the heels of a second half shooting percentage of 52 percent. After a Matt Bielenda (Wethersfield, Conn./Xavier) three pointer put Manhattanville ahead by 21, the Panthers went on a 25-5 run over the next nine minutes to suddenly make it a one point game at 41-40 with 9:44 to play.

After watching their lead all but evaporate, the Valiants were able to hold strong and prevent the Panthers from completing their comeback. After having a pair of four point leads answered by Old Westbury three pointers, a crucial 7-0 Valiant run gave Manhattanville some much-needed breathing room, up 54-46 with 4:45 to go. The Valiants would go back up by as many as 10 points before the Panthers threw one last punch with an 8-0 run to move the score to 57-55 with 31 seconds remaining. Xavier Kistoo-Miles (Spring Valley, N.Y./Spring Valley) hit a pair of huge free throws before making a steal on Old Westbury's ensuing possession that resulted in a Saint-Louis layup. The Panthers would hit two free throws with eight seconds left but would be unable to get another shot away as the Valiants escaped Long Island with the 61-57 win.

Up Next
The Valiants will look to have an easier go of things when they return to Farmingdale in a week's time. Manhattanville takes on Farmingdale State on Saturday at 12 p.m.

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