PURCHASE, N.Y. – A heavyweight bout between the two teams perched atop the Skyline Conference lived up to the billing as the Manhattanville College women's basketball team was triumphant on home court on Tuesday night, defeating Mount Saint Mary 57-48. The win moves the Valiants to 16-3 overall and 13-1 in Skyline Conference action, regaining sole possession of first place in the conference standings.
The win snaps Mount Saint Mary's eight game winning streak as the Knights entered the contest undefeated since Dec. 31. It was also the Knights' first conference loss since Dec. 12 when the Valiants went to Newburgh and earned a 63-42 victory.
Niyona Smith (Baltimore, MD/Concordia Prep) led the charge with her fourth double-double of her junior season, scoring 14 with 12 rebounds. Smith also added four blocks and a steal as she was heavily featured in her 35 minutes on the floor.
Another player filling up the statsheet on the night was
Livi Correia (North Attleboro, Mass./Worcester Academy) who joined Smith in double-figures. The senior guard scored 10 points while dishing out six assists, pulling down five rebounds, earning two steals and blocking a shot.
Jamison Agostino (Stony Brook, N.Y./Ward Melville) and
Amanda Orlando (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) each finished with nine points. The senior Agostino did all her damage from beyond the arc with three three-pointers while the sophomore Orlando's points came from four short range field goals and a free throw. Orlando added six rebounds and four assists in the win.
The night did not start off well for Manhattanville as the Valiants shot just 2-of-15 from the floor in the first quarter. While the Knights had their own struggles to the tune of a .263 clip over the first ten minutes, Mount Saint Mary put the first seven points on the board. The Valiants would finally convert with 4:14 left in the quarter as Smith delivered her first points of the night with a layup. The Knights continued to cause headaches for the Valiants early and would take a 10-point lead off a Sara Cashin jumper with 1:29 to play, up 13-3.
Angela Downey (Lyndhurst, N.J./Lyndhurst) closed out the quarter with a crucial three-pointer to bring Manhattanville's deficit back down to single digits, down 13-6.
The Manhattanville offense started to find its footing in the second, shooting 43 percent. Brianna Guglielmo hit a layup to open the quarter for Mount Saint Mary 14 seconds after the inbound, but the Knights would hit just one field goal over the remainder of the half. The Valiants scored the next six points off baskets from
Julianna Kascic (North Bergen, N.J./Paramus Catholic), Orlando and
Esther Ramos (Queens, N.Y./Forest Hills) to make it a one possession game again at 15-12 with 5:31 remaining. Lauren Petrie responded with a three-pointer for the Knights in a trip down the floor that saw the Knights earn four offensive rebounds. It was all Valiants over the final four minutes of the half as Orlando hit a pair of layups to pull Manhattanville back within two before Agostino drilled a buzzer-beating three from deep to put Manhattanville in front the first time all night at 19-18.
The basket swung momentum into the favor of the Valiants to begin the second half as the team continued to take advantage of the Knights' struggles from the floor. Mount Saint Mary shot 3-of-14 from the field in the third quarter, providing ample opportunity for the Valiants to begin pulling away. Fittingly, Agostino drained another three to open the second half scoring to put Manhattanville up by four. The Knights got back within one of a pair of occasions, with a Charlotte Twohig jumper at 5:02 moving the score to 26-25 in favor of the Valiants. Another clutch three, this time by Correia, kickstarted an 11-0 Manhattanville run that suddenly had the home team out in front 37-25. Twohig struck last for Mount Saint Mary with a jumper to make it a ten point game with ten minutes to play.
After being held in check all night long, the Knights had their best shooting effort of the game in the fourth to make a comeback effort, shooting 44 percent overall and 50 percent from deep. A Smith layup pushed the Valiant lead up to a game-high 12 before the Knights began to claw back in. The Knights hit three-pointers in four straight trips down the floor to make it a five point game with 5:41 remaining. A minute and a half later, a Petrie layup brought it to one possession once again, 46-43 with four minutes left. With the Knights nipping at the Vals' heels, Agostino hit her third deep ball of the night to halt Mount Saint Mary's run. Petrie hit a jumper going the other way before the Valiants went on an 8-0 run to put the game on ice. The Knights would hit just three free throws over the final three minutes as the Valiants held on for the 57-48 win.
Up Next
The Valiants continue their four-game homestand on Thursday night, hosting Yeshiva at 6 p.m.
