PURCHASE, N.Y. – A lights-out shooting performance from beyond the arc helped the Manhattanville University women's basketball team cruise to a 67-36 win over Purchase College on Tuesday night. With one game left to play in the first half of the season, the Valiants improve to 6-1 overall (4-1 Skyline) as the Panthers drop to 2-8 (1-4).
The Valiants hit 53 percent of their three-point attempts in the win, their best shooting mark from deep since hitting at a 67 percent rate against Farmingdale back in February 2024. Manhattanville connected on eight shots from downtown in the win, led by three from
Julie Debrocky (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) and two from
Madison Carlo (Carmel, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic).
Gabby Tucker (Port Chester, N.Y./Blind Brook),
Taylor Malone (Yonkers, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic Prep) and
Cascia Sandoval (San Antonio, Texas/Harlandale) each finished the night with a three apiece.
With her leading effort from deep, Debrocky put up a team-high 16 points to pace the offensive effort. The junior has now reached double-digits in five of the Valiants' seven games, leading Manhattanville with 12.4 points per contest.
Niyona Smith (Baltimore, MD/Concordia Prep) led the Valiants off the glass with eight rebounds to go alongside her 10 points, two blocks, two steals and pair of assists.
Tucker came down with five caroms as she once again saw herself involved all over the floor, adding a team-best four assists with a block and two steals.
Kathleen O'Mara (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) walked away with four steals, while Debrocky, Sandoval and
Kaitlyn Mangan (New Fairfield, Conn./New Fairfield) collecting four boards.
It was more of the same by the Valiant defense, holding Purchase to a .234 field goal percentage. The Panthers went 2-for-17 from deep, and despite winning the rebound battle 41-36, committed 26 turnovers to the Valiants' 12. Tuesday was already the fourth time this season the Valiants held an opponent to below 40 points, with the opposition averaging just 45.6 points per game against the staunch defensive unit.
Things could have gotten out of hand quickly as Manhattanville shot 46 percent in the first quarter while the Panthers went 1-for-9 from the field, but Purchase went 6-for-6 at the free throw line to hang around. The Valiants were whistled for seven total fouls over the first ten minutes, preventing them from fully pulling away. Manhattanville's largest lead of the quarter sat at six points before Purchase made it a one score game again at the charity stripe. Neither team connected on a field goal try over the final 3:20 of the quarter until
Amanda Orlando (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) logged a steal and layup at the buzzer to put the home side up 13-8.
Manhattanville seized control in the closing seven minutes of the half, outscoring the Panthers 16-3 to wrap the second quarter. The Valiants put up 12 unanswered points over a two minute span to take a 27-12 lead. Purchase mustered just one layup and a free throw in response before Manhattanville delivered another closing-second strike as Smith connected on a layup to send the Valiants to the locker room ahead 31-15.
After going just 1-for-5 from deep in the first half, the Valiants put the game on ice by shooting 70 percent on three point tries in the second. Half of Manhattanville's field goals in the third quarter came from beyond the arc, outscoring Purchase 15-8 to carry a 46-23 lead into the fourth quarter. The Valiants hit 50 percent of their shots in the fourth to close out the night, adding four more three-pointers to wrap up the 31-point victory.
Up Next
The Valiants close out 2024 on Saturday, hosting Farmingdale State at 1 p.m.
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