PURCHASE, N.Y. – Amanda Orlando (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) marked her return to the court for the first time in ten months with a team-high 12 points as the Manhattanville University women's basketball team began a five-game homestand on Saturday with a 68-28 win over Sarah Lawrence. The Valiants improve to 5-1 (3-1 Skyline), while the Gryphons drop to 3-5 (2-2 Skyline).
Orlando saw game action for the first time this season after missing the first five games of the year finishing her recovery from an injury sustained in February's Skyline Conference Championship finals. The junior played 20 minutes off the bench and led all Valiant shooters with her 12 points, finishing 4-of-11 from the floor and 3-for-4 at the free throw line. Orlando added four steals, a pair of assists and a rebound in the winning effort.
Esther Ramos (Queens, N.Y./Forest Hills) and
Niyona Smith (Baltimore, MD/Concordia Prep) each flirted with a double-double, with Ramos posting 10 points with nine rebounds while Smith pulled down 10 caroms and scored nine. Smith led all players on the court with the rebound total, with five of her boards coming off the offensive glass. Her offensive rebound total was matched only by
Julie Debrocky (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac), who added three defensive rebounds to finish the contest with eight, her second most in a game this season.
It was another installment of the Valiant defense causing chaos as Manhattanville logged 28 steals, forced 40 Sarah Lawrence turnovers, and held the Gryphons to just a 20 percent mark from the floor. The 28 points was Sarah Lawrence's lowest offensive output in a game this season, as was the Gryphons' field goal percentage and their .111 clip from beyond the arc. Debrocky had a career-high five takeaways to lead the lockdown defensive effort, while Smith, Orlando,
Kathleen O'Mara (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) and
Gabby Tucker (Port Chester, N.Y./Blind Brook) all finished with four.
Manhattanville led wire-to-wire as Ramos drilled a pair of free throws and Debrocky notched the Valiants' opening field goal in the opening 3:42. Sarah Lawrence went 1-for-9 from the field in the opening quarter and turned the ball over 16 times in the frame to allow Manhattanville to pull away. Responding to the Gryphons' basket from Gabby Hudson, the Valiants scored 11 unanswered points to take a 15-2 lead. The Gryphons snapped a six-minute scoreless drought with an Arian Sapnopoulos free throw to close out the first, but it did little to hamper the Valiants.
A pair of O'Mara free throws and a layup from Tucker had Manhattanville up by 16 to open up the second. The lead swelled up to a 19 point margin before Sarah Lawrence hit their first field goal in 10 minutes off a Hudson jump shot with 6:12 remaining in the half to make the score 23-6. Hudson would provide a majority of the Gryphons' offense with eight of the team's 13 first-half points as the Valiants continued to build upon a lead that topped at 22 in the half, with the score holding a 33-13 in the home side's favor at the halftime horn.
The Gryphons were unable to shoot their way back into the game, going 4-for-21 (.190) from the floor in the second half, including an 0-for-5 mark from deep. The Valiants outscored Sarah Lawrence 13-7 in the third before shooting 43 percent in the fourth to go on a 22-8 run over the final ten minutes to capture the 40-point win.
Up Next
The Valiants continue their Kennedy Gymnasium residency on Tuesday to take on Purchase College at 6 p.m. for the team's Pride Night game.
VALIANTS on SOCIAL MEDIA For the latest on Manhattanville Athletics, follow the Valiants via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads and YouTube. #WeAreValiant #GoValiants
