FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College men's basketball conference tournament run came to a close on Saturday afternoon, as the second-seeded Valiants were defeated by No. 1 Farmingdale State College in the Skyline Conference Championship, 71-65. The loss will bring Manhattanville's record on the season to 21-7, the third 20 win season ever in program history.
Jackson Leech (Chicago, Ill./Von Steuben) led the Valiants in the finals with 21 points, going 5-for-8 from the field and 11-for-13 from the free throw line. He added three rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal to his stat line.
Tommy Lotito (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) recorded 16 points on the day, along with seven boards, four assists, a block and a steal.
Ryan Giordano (West Nyack, N.Y./Clarkstown South) had a team-high eight rebounds and recorded seven points, two assists, and a block.
Andrew Saint-Louis (Norwalk, Conn./Notre Dame Fairfield) scored nine points, while
Jake Dunn (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) added eight.
In the first half, Manhattanville would show dominance on the court in the first five minutes with an early 8-4 start led by Giordano down low. Farmingdale would then respond with four of their own to tie it up, 8-8. From there it would be a basket battle, as the Valiants and Rams tied it 11-11 and then 15-15 with 8:48 left to go in the half. Farmingdale would then go on a six-point run through two minutes of time on the backs of Tre Riggins and Jevon Santos for the 21-15 lead. Manhattanville were fighting and clawing their way back to then go up one, 25-24, with 2:28 to go. FSC's Nick Hurowitz would tie it up once again, 25-25 before taking a one-point lead. Giordano would sink a jumper with 1:46 left in the half to give Manhattanville the lead before heading into the locker room.
The Valiants would shoot 37 percent from the field going 9-24 through the first 20 minutes, 37 percent from the three-point line and 75 percent from the charity stripe. Despite their score going into the half, Farmingdale was off to a so-so start from the floor. The Rams were shooting only 32 percent from the field, 20 percent from behind the arc and 53 percent from the free throw line.
In the final 20 minutes of regulation, Manhattanville would get four points on the board within the first 68 seconds for a 30-26 lead. It would then be a back-and-forth effort before the Valiants went up by as much as seven points. With only 7:41 remaining, the Rams would tie it up, 49-49. From there, FSC would go on a six-point run and would keep the lead the rest of the game. Manhattanville would try to regain control through the final minutes but could only bring it within two or three points. The Rams would shoot the lights out of the Nold Athletic Complex in the second half going 50 percent from both the field and the three-point line. Manhattanville would not find such success as they only shot 43 percent, going 10-for-23 from the field as they finish as Skyline Conference Runner-Up for the second year in a row.
Farmingdale would win on their home court, 71-65. Corey Powell was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player following his 16-point, three rebound effort in the championship game.
The Valiants have declared for the ECAC Tournament, meaning at least one more game awaits Manhattanville this season. The tournament gets underway on March 1. More information about game location and opponent will be available in the coming days.
