PURCHASE, N.Y. – In a game that needed more than regulation to determine a victor, the Manhattanville College women's basketball team fell to Merchant Marine 59-49 in overtime on Thursday night. The loss drops the Valiants to 13-3 on the season, now standing at 9-2 in Skyline Conference play.

It was the Valiants' first overtime game of the season, with Manhattanville last going to extra time back on Dec. 7, 2021 against Farmingdale. Prior to Thursday's game, the last time the Kennedy Gymnasium faithful were treated to a home overtime affair was way back in 2018 against King's.

Amanda Orlando (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) continued to shine as the reigning Skyline Rookie of the Week led the Manhattanville offense with 16 points. In addition to shooting .500 from the field, Orlando went 6-of-9 at the free throw line. She would add three rebounds and an assist as part of her night.

Julianna Kascic (North Bergen, N.J./Paramus Catholic) was the marathon woman for the Valiants on the night, playing all 45 minutes of the affair. The senior forward collected her tenth double-double of the season, posting a 12 point, 12 rebound line for the second straight contest. Kascic also matched her season-high assist total with five helpers. Niyona Smith (Baltimore, MD/Concordia Prep) finished second on the night in rebounds to Kascic with five.

The game was tied 49-49 at the end of regulation. Merchant Marine scored all 10 of the extra period's points, as the Valiants went 0-for-5 from the floor in overtime. Clutch efforts at the charity stripe allowed the Mariners to secure the win, as USMMA hit all eight of their free throw attempts in OT.

Prior to overtime, it was a another chapter in what has come to be expected when Manhattanville and Merchant Marine meet on the hardwood. Two of the Skyline's best were locked in a defensive battle with scoring opportunities coming at a premium. The 49 points was Manhattanville's lowest offensive output since Dec. 18 against Clark, while the Mariners' production in regulation was their lowest point total of the season.

Grace Jackson struck first to open the night for USMMA, drilling a three pointer to get things started. The Mariners would hit just two shots from beyond the arc over the duration of the night. The Mariners would extend their lead up to as high as five in the quarter as the Valiants played catch-up. An Orlando layup and a Smith jumper tied the game up at 13-13 with under two minutes to go. Lauren Hunter connected on a pair of free throws to put USMMA back in front before Kascic hit a jumper to send the game into the second tied 15-15.

The Valiants would claim their first lead of the night courtesy of an Angela Downey (Lyndhurst, N.J./Lyndhurst) three and another Orlando layup. A Hunter layup would pull the Mariners closer, cutting Manhattanville's slim lead down to 20-17. The score remained stagnant for close to three minutes before Kascic ended the dry spell with a layup. Downey would extend the home team lead up to seven, but the Mariners would get three quick points as the half drew to a close to send the teams to the locker rooms with the Valiants up 26-22.

Orlando would score quickly as the second half began before Merchant went on a 9-3 run to tie the game back up at 31-31. While the Valiants would go back ahead, they would be unable to extend the advantage past four points. The Mariners would score six unanswered over the final 2:24 of the third to take a 39-37 advantage to head into the fourth.

With 7:22 remaining, Orlando drew a trip to the free throw line, hitting a pair of shots to put the Valiants back in front. The free throws kickstarted an 8-0 Valiant run that had Manhattanville leading 48-41 with five minutes to play. With their backs to the wall, Merchant Marine outscored the Valiants 8-1 over the remainder of regulation with Hunter drilling a pair of free throw attempts with seven second remaining. Livi Correia's (North Attleboro, Mass./Worcester Academy) buzzer beater attempt was off the mark, sending the game to overtime where the Mariners were able to secure the win.

Up Next
The Valiants are next in action in six days time, taking on Old Westbury on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

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