PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University men's basketball team was bested in their Skyline Conference opener on Saturday afternoon, falling to the University of Mount Saint Vincent by a final of 78-69. The Valiants officially end the first half of the season 4-6 overall as the Dolphins improve to 4-3.

John Ranaghan (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) notched the first double-double of his collegiate career as he poured in 19 points with a season-high 11 rebounds. The sophomore came down with nine defensive caroms while eclipsing double-digits offensively for the seventh time this season. Ranaghan will carry a scoring average of 13.8 points per contest into the new year, trailing only Andrew Saint-Louis (Norwalk, Conn./Notre Dame Fairfield) (15.9) on the Valiants.

Jack Scanlon (Pearl River, NY/Pearl River High School) had the best offensive performance of his four-year collegiate career with 16 points. The senior shot 6-of-8 from the field, hitting his lone three-pointer of the afternoon, while adding three free throws. Scanlon also contributed a pair of steals, an assist and an offensive board to the cause. Carlos Urena (Corona, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) also set a bunch of personal highs, with his 13 points and four rebounds marking the top outputs of his freshman season. Urena also had a steal and an assist in the game.

Saint-Louis and Daniel Marinaccio (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph By The Sea) finished second in the Valiants' rebounding effort with five boards apiece. Andrew Melillo (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) led the team with a trio of assists.

The Dolphins hit 50 percent of their field goal tries in the first half, with eight of their shots connecting from beyond the arc. The Valiants simply could not keep pace with Mount Saint Vincent's offense over the first half, getting outscored 43-27 in the opening 20 minutes. A layup from DJ Tucker and a three by Kevin Agyemang put the Dolphins up 5-0 to start the contest with an advantage they held on to from wire to wire. The Valiants responded with back-to-back jumpers from Melillo and Saint-Louis, but a pair of Josiah Basket free throws and a Max Depina jump shot for UMSV reestablished the multi-score lead and staved off the home team's closest chance of taking a lead they would get all game long.

Manhattanville shot 3-of-11 at the free throw line in the first half, failing to capitalize on the chances the Dolphins were granting them. Mount Saint Vincent went on a 7-0 run capped with a Depina three-pointer to go up by 10 at 16-6 with 14:36 left in the opening half. Marinaccio answered back with a deep ball of his own as the Valiants would score 12 of the next 17 points to make it a one-possession game again at 21-18 following a three from Urena. With under ten minutes to go in the half, the Dolphins took over by outscoring Manhattanville 22-9 to bring things to a close. Agyemang hung the final five points of the half on the board with a jumper and the Dolphins' eighth three-pointer of the half to give the visitors a 43-27 cushion.

The Valiants took better advantage of their free throw opportunities in the second, putting up a 13-of-17 line at the charity stripe, while the Dolphins cooled off from downtown with a 29 percent clip from beyond the arc (4-for-14), but the first half deficit was too steep for the Valiants to fight all the way back from. Scanlon led the effort in the second, hitting all four of his field goals with three free throws, while Ranaghan scored 11 with seven boards in the final 20 minutes. The Dolphins' lead swelled up to a 19-point advantage at 52-33 following an Aiden McCahey layup with 15 minutes left to play before the Valiants scored seven unanswered points to keep UMSV from running away with things.

Manhattanville continued to chip away, bringing the deficit down to ten with ten minutes left following a Urena layup. The Dolphins regained composure with the next two baskets courtesy of Depina before the Vals got back to within 10 once again with 6:53 left on the clock. Josiah Basket responded with a pair of three pointers to effectively end Manhattanville's comeback effort, trailing by 14 under five minutes to go. The home side was ultimately able to close the gap down to single digits, but the Dolphins hit five of their final six free throws to close things out and pick up the win in their conference opener.

Up Next
The Valiants have one more game on the docket for 2024, taking on Division I Sacred Heart on Dec. 29. The contest will count as an exhibition for Manhattanville while serving as a regular-season contest for the hosting Pioneers. The Valiants will then resume official games in the new year, starting with a home tilt with Mount Saint Mary on Jan. 4 at noon.

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