PURCHASE, N.Y. – In a rematch of the 2023 Skyline Conference Championship Finals, the Manhattanville College women's basketball team improved to 5-0 on the year with a dominating 68-35 victory over conference foe Merchant Marine on Wednesday night. The Valiants climb to 3-0 in conference action with the win.

The Valiants held the Mariners to a season-low offensive output, limiting Merchant Marine to just an 18 percent clip from the floor. USMMA would go just 1-for-20 from the floor in the second half as the Valiant defense slammed the door in the win.

Offensively, Manhattanville had four scorers in double-figures. The team was led all over the court by Livi Correia (North Attleboro, Mass./Worcester Academy), who matched her career-high of 12 points. The senior would also add a team-high five steals while collecting five rebounds and dishing out a pair of assists.

Jamison Agostino (Stony Brook, N.Y./Ward Melville) took point as the team's leading scorer as she finished with 14 points. As usual, the senior guard's damage came from deep as Agostino connecting on four shots from beyond the arc. Julianna Kascic (North Bergen, N.J./Paramus Catholic) and Amanda Orlanda would round out the leading scorers with 11 points apiece. Orlando finished the night with seven rebounds and six assists, both team-highs, while recording three takeaways. Kascic, meanwhile had six boards with a block and a pair of assists.

The Valiants came out hot as the team hit 56 percent of its shots in the opening quarter. A quick 9-1 run by Manhattanville over the opening two and a half minutes forced USMMA to call an early timeout to try a slow things down. While the Mariners would stop the run with a Emily Grasseler layup as play resumed, it did little to silence the Valiant offense as the Valiants scored the next seven unanswered to push the lead up to double-figures, 16-3. Merchant Marine hit back-to-back baskets before the Vals scored eight of the final ten points of the quarter to take a sizeable 24-9 lead at the horn.

After an Orlando layup opened up the second by furthering the Valiants' lead up to 17, Merchant Marine rattled off 10 consecutive points to pull back within striking distance with 3:52 left in the half. With their lead down to single-digits again, Agostino drained a deep ball to kickstart a 10-3 Manhattanville run that ran out the rest of the clock. With the buzzer sounding, the Valiants were back up by double-digits, 36-22.

Manhattanville firmly took charge in the third as Merchant Marin went 0-for-11 from the field. The Mariners would score just four points in the quarter, all on free throws, as the Valiants swelled their lead past 20. The home squad scored 17 in the quarter, led by six from Orlando to carry a 53-26 lead into the final ten minutes.

USMMA continued to struggle from the field in the fourth, hitting just one field goal to close out the game. Manhattanville's final run of the night would be 10 unanswered points to push the score to 65-28. The Mariners would narrow the gap on four free throws and three ball by Trinity Santasiero, but it did little to make a dent in the lead as the Valiants earned the 33-point victory.

Up Next
The Valiants will play their final home game of 2023 on Saturday, hosting Saint Joseph's Long Island at 1 p.m.

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