PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College women's basketball team wrapped up their first half home schedule on Saturday afternoon with a 56-46 win over Skyline Conference foe Saint Joseph's Long Island. The Valiants improve to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play with the win.
Julianna Kascic (North Bergen, N.J./Paramus Catholic) led the way with her fourth double-double of the year as she scored 15 and pulled down 17 boards. The grad student shot a team-best .500 from the field in the win and added three steals, a trio of assists and a block.
Angela Downey (Lyndhurst, N.J./Lyndhurst) posted her second double-figure effort of the season with 11 points as she hit three three-pointers. The Valiants' other top deep-threat of
Jamison Agostino (Stony Brook, N.Y./Ward Melville) also sank three shots from beyond the arc as she finished the game with 10 points and a pair of steals.
Niyona Smith (Baltimore, MD/Concordia Prep) finished with 13 rebounds, four of which came off the offensive glass to match Kascic's team-leading total on the day.
After winning their previous five games by an average of more than 30 points, the Valiants found themselves locked in their closest battle of the season against the Golden Eagles. The 56 points was the team's lowest offensive output of the year so far, and despite the team's .296 clip from the field also marking a new low, it was another shutdown defensive performance by Manhattanville that paved the way to victory. The Golden Eagles were also held to their lowest scoring and shooting percentage of the season.
A testament to the defensive strength of both teams, the score through the first 8:30 was 5-2 in favor of Manhattanville. The teams combined for just four total field goals in the opening quarter, with the Valiants being able to build up a lead on the back of five free throws. The Valiants would finally connect on their first field goal after opening the game 0-for-14 from the floor with 1:12 remaining as Downey connected from deep. That seemed to kickstart the Valiant offense as the team got a three-pointer from Agostino and a layup from Kascic in the final minute to take a 13-2 advantage at the end of ten minutes.
The Valiants would carry the momentum into the second quarter as they shot a game-high 43 percent in the period. Saint Joseph's would keep things close as they nipped away at Manhattanville's lead with a Casey Travers free throw pulling the visitors back within eight at 21-13 with two minutes remaining. However, the Valiants once against saved their best for the closing minutes as an
Amanda Orlando (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) jumper and a pair of threes from Downey accounted for the final eight points of the half, doubling up Manhattanville's lead at 29-13.
Saint Joseph's would have their best shooting effort in the third, hitting 44 percent from the field to prevent Manhattanville from running away with things. After Kascic began the half with a layup to spot the Valiants their largest lead of the day, the Golden Eagles responded with five straight points. Manhattanville's lead would never climb back above 13 as the team shot 29 percent in the quarter while going 1-for-8 from beyond the arc. The cold spell allowed the Golden Eagles to pull back within single digits as Megan Spina hit a jumper in the closing seconds to move the score to 41-32 entering the final quarter.
Kascic once again opened the scoring in the fourth with a pair of free throws to reestablish an 11-point advantage, but Saint Joseph's was not to be put away so easily. The visitors went on a 12-4 run to come roaring back as a Spina layup cut the Valiant lead down to 47-44 with 3:24 to play. The Eagles threatened to make it a one point game before Kascic blocked a Travers jumper and came down with the rebound while drawing a foul. She would hit both free throws on the other end of the floor to make it a two possession game once again. Kascic's trip to the charity stripe began a 9-2 run for the Valiants the closed out the contest as Manhattanville would close things out, 56-46.
Up Next
The Valiants have one last conference test for 2023 as the team heads to Newburgh on Tuesday night to take on Mount Saint Mary at 7 p.m.
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