PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College women's basketball team began the 2023-24 season on Sunday morning as the Valiants defeated SUNY Morrisville by a final of 81-47. The Valiants have now won each of their last eight season openers, dating back to 2015.
The Valiants were led by three scorers in double figures in the victory.
Jamison Agostino (Stony Brook, N.Y./Ward Melville) began her senior season with a 14-point performance, shooting 5-of-9 from the field and going 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.
Julianna Kascic (North Bergen, N.J./Paramus Catholic) and
Niyona Smith (Baltimore, MD/Concordia Prep) each finished with 13 points while both flirted with a double-double. The duo finished as Manhattanville's leaders off the glass, with Kascic corralling nine boards while Smith finished with eight.
Coming off her Rookie of the Year campaign,
Amanda Orlando (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) had a team-leading seven assists along with her seven points.
In total, 12 of the 15 Valiants to step on the court on Sunday finished with a basket.
It was a hot start for Manhattanville, opening the game on a 10-0 run over the opening 2:09. Deep balls by Orlando and Agostino bookended the run before Morrisville put their first points on the board with a Delimar Vega-Haley jumper. The Mustangs were only able to pull within six in an effort to dig out of the early hole, despite shooting 55 percent from the field across the opening ten minutes.
The Valiants would close out the half with some stifling defense, surrendering just nine points in the second quarter. Manhattanville's lead only dipped below double digits once after the Mustangs converted on back-to-back layups, but a three ball by Agostino reestablished the Valiants' double-figure lead at 31-19 with 4:07 left in the half. While scoring slowed down significantly as the half drew to a close, the Valiants scored four of the final five points in the last 2:14 to take a 35-22 lead into the locker room.
Manhattanville shot 50 percent across the second half to firmly pull away across the final 20 minutes. After trading layups to begin the third, the Valiants went on an 8-0 run to push the lead up to 45-24 with 5:30 left in the frame. Manhattanville's advantage never dipped below 19 points as the lead swelled to a 24-point margin after Smith sunk a free throw following a last-second foul, going up 58-34.
After Morrisville scored the first five points of the fourth quarter, the Valiants scored the next nine as part of a 23-8 run across the final 8:25 of play to secure a convincing opening day win.
Up Next
The Valiants will get a first look at both conference and road play on Wednesday, making the short trip to Purchase College for a 7 p.m. tip.
VALIANTS on SOCIAL MEDIA For the latest on Manhattanville Athletics, follow the Valiants via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads and YouTube. #WeAreValiant #GoValiants
