PURCHASE, N.Y. – For the first time since 2010, the Manhattanville College women's basketball team will be playing for a conference championship. Avenging last season's Skyline Conference Semifinals loss to Mount Saint Mary, the second-seeded Valiants were victorious on Thursday night in the 2023 semifinals against the Knights, 78-55. The victory improves the Valiants' record on the season to 21-3 and sets up a Saturday championship game against the United States Merchant Marine Academy.
The Valiants held the Knights to just 55 points, tied for their third-lowest output this season with the last time these two teams met on Feb. 8, a 57-55 Valiant victory. This time around, however, Manhattanville was able to capitalize on the Knights' shooting woes to run away with things in the third quarter. Mount Saint Mary shot .242 on the night, their second worst shooting performance of the year as Valiant defenders prevented the Knights from getting open looks throughout the affair.
Conversely, the Valiants' .547 shooting percentage in the game was by far their best of the year. The disparity between the two teams' nights from the field was the difference maker as the Knights were eventually unable to keep pace with Manhattanville's baskets.
Julianna Kascic (North Bergen, N.J./Paramus Catholic) led the effort for the Valiants with her 14
th double-double of the season as she scored 20 with 11 rebounds. The senior forward was a remarkable 9-of-11 from the floor to serve as the offensive catalyst. She would add a pair of assists and a steal to her ledger as well.
Kascic was joined by three other Valiants in double figures on the night.
Niyona Smith (Baltimore, MD/Concordia Prep) finished behind only Kascic, as the sophomore scored 15 along with eight rebounds, three blocks and an assist.
Jamison Agostino (Stony Brook, N.Y./Ward Melville) scored 13, nine of which came via the deep ball, while
Gabby Tucker (Port Chester, N.Y./Blind Brook) provided 11 points off the bench, matching her personal best from Saturday's game against Saint Joseph's-Long Island.
Livi Correia (North Attleboro, Mass./Worcester Academy) was also a force off the glass for the Valiants as the junior guard set a new career-high with 12 rebounds.
Amanda Orlando (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) added six as Manhattanville was dominant in the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Knights 55-27.
The Valiants hit 54 percent of their shots in the first half, but the hot shooting was not enough to put the Knights in the dust early. Correia opened the night with a three-pointer, but the Valiants would not lead by more than three for the rest of the quarter. In fact, it was the Knights that would lead for most of the opening 10 minutes as a 6-0 run by the visiting team gave the Knights their first lead of the contest up 8-5. A Lauren Desrats three gave the Knights a 14-9 advantage with 4:38 left in the frame, the largest either side would hold through the opening quarter. The Valiants would chip away, ultimately tying the game back up at 17-17 on a layup by Smith 29 seconds before the quarter came to a close.
It was in the second quarter that the Valiants started to control the momentum as Mount Saint Mary would go just 3-for-13 from the floor while Manhattanville continued to strike at a .539 clip. After trading baskets to open the second a Kascic layup, Agostino three and a Kascic free throw accounted for a 6-0 run that would ultimately hold for the remainder of the night. The Knights pulled back to within one following a pair of quick succession layups by Kate Hughes. With Mount Saint Mary breathing down their necks, the Valiants went right back on another run, this time scoring ten unanswered points over a span of 2:51. Tucker and Smith accounted for all of the points in the burst, with Tucker putting up six. The teams traded one last free throw apiece before the half drew to a close with the Valiants up 37-26.
The Valiant defense smothered the Knights in the third quarter as Mount Saint Mary went 0-for-17 from the field. The Knights scored just five points in the frame, all via free throws, as the Valiants began to pull away. In fact, the Valiants outscored the Knights in the third at the charity stripe alone, hitting six free throws in the period. Manhattanville opened the quarter on a 5-0 run, all coming via free throws, to go up 41-26 with 7:20 remaining. While the Valiants would also have their worst shooting quarter of the night, shooting .385 coming out of the half, the Knights were unable to keep pace with them being held to points only off of free throws. Agostino hit a three with 3:31 to play before a Kascic layup put the home team up by 20. The Valiants went on a 5-0 run in the closing 1:03 of the period to carry a 54-31 lead into the final 10 minutes.
While Mount Saint Mary had their best quarter of the night with 24 points, the Valiants matched the offensive output to put an end to this one. A 10-5 Valiant run over the opening 4:35 of the quarter gave Manhattanville their largest lead of the night, leading 64-36 with 5:25 left in regulation. The Knights never pulled closer than 22 as the Valiants earned a huge win to punch their ticket to the title game.
Up Next
The top two seeds will meet for the Skyline Conference Championship on Saturday. The Valiants travel to King's Point to take on USMMA at 7 p.m.
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