BRONX, N.Y. – Making their return to the hardwood to kickoff 2023, the Manhattanville College women's basketball team remained unbeaten in Skyline Conference play with a 61-47 win at Mount Saint Vincent. The victory improves the Valiants' record on the season to 10-1 overall while moving to 7-0 against the Skyline.

Niyona Smith (Baltimore, MD/Concordia Prep) put together a strong two-way performance to earn her first double-double of the season. The sophomore led the team in rebounds with 10 while adding 10 points offensively. Smith has been dominant under the hoop as of late, earning 34 rebounds in the team's last three games. She is now averaging 8.2 rebounds per contest, the second-most on the team.

Smith was one of four Valiants to reach double figures as the starters accounted for 60 of the 61 points on the night. Julianna Kascic (North Bergen, N.J./Paramus Catholic) was once again the offensive leader with 21 points. The senior shot 7-of-9 from the field while knocking down all seven of her free throw attempts. Kascic has now reached double-digits offensively in nine straight games dating back to Nov. 19 and is now averaging 15.9 points per game.

Amanda Orlando (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) set a new personal best with her 13 points, the first time the rookie has reached double-figures. Orlando hit a season-high five field goals including her first collegiate three pointer. Jamison Agostino (Stony Brook, N.Y./Ward Melville) would add 10 points, leading the Valiants with three three-pointers. Livi Correia (North Attleboro, Mass./Worcester Academy) rounded out the starters with a six point effort while handing out five assists.

After a long time away from action, the Valiants came out of the gates slow with a 3-for-12 start from the field. The Dolphins made the most of the cold start and five Valiant turnovers in the opening three minutes to jump out to a 6-0 lead. An Agostino three and a jumper by Kascic would pull the Valiants back within one before the Dolphins scored the final three points of the opening quarter to take an 11-7 lead through the opening ten minutes. Manhattanville missed their last five shots of the quarter.

While Manhattanville continued to struggle from the field in the second quarter with a 4-of-11 mark from the field, a 9-for-12 effort at the free throw line in the final 10 minutes of the half allowed the visiting squad to jump ahead. After Mount Saint Vincent hit the opening basket of the quarter, Manhattanville went on a 9-2 run to take their first lead of the night. Orlando tied the game up at 15-15 with a three pointer before Correia hit a free throw three possessions later. The score would be tied twice more before the half before the Valiants scored four of the final five points of the half to bring a 25-22 advantage into the locker room.

The halftime reset did the Valiant shooters good as Manhattanville remained hot at the charity stripe in the third, connecting on all five free throw attempts, while hitting 53 percent of their field goals. The Dolphins would also have their worst shooting quarter of the night, going 3-for-12, allowing the Valiants to blow the game open with a 22-6 quarter. With the score 27-26 in favor of Manhattanville, the Valiants went on a 20-2 run over an eight minute span. The Dolphins were held without a basket for the final 5:52 of the quarter as Manhattanville went ahead by 19, leading 47-28 entering the final quarter.

Mount Saint Vincent would outscore Manhattanville 19-14 in the final 10 minutes but the third quarter was too much for the home team to fight back from. The Valiant lead never dipped below 12 as Manhattanville shot 50 percent in the quarter to close out the game and secure the win on the road.

Up Next
It will be a 2022 Skyline Semifinal rematch on Saturday as the Valiants host Mount Saint Mary at 2 p.m.

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