PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville College men's basketball team opened up their 2024 postseason run on Tuesday night as the third-seeded Valiants rolled past No. 6 USMMA, 73-60. The Valiants advance to the Skyline semifinals for the third consecutive year and will take on No. 2 Yeshiva on Thursday night in the next round.
Four scorers in double-figures set the tone for the Valiants, with
Xavier Kistoo-Miles (Spring Valley, N.Y./Spring Valley) leading the way with a career-high 17 points in 22 minutes off the bench. The senior shot 6-for-8 from the field, going a perfect 4-for-4 from deep to deliver some clutch points when needed. Kistoo-Miles added three rebounds to his performance on the night.
The Valiants' other leading scorers came from the starting trio of
Andrew Saint-Louis (Norwalk, Conn./Notre Dame Fairfield),
Ryan Giordano (West Nyack, N.Y./Clarkstown South) and
Tommy Lotito (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's). Saint-Louis scored 14 while notching four rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. Giordano, meanwhile collected his second double-double of the year with a 14 point, 15 board effort, adding three assists and a pair of steals. Lotito added 13 points of his own alongside three assists and five boards.
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Jack Scanlon (Pearl River, NY/Pearl River High School) free throw and Saint-Louis layup had the Valiants open the game with a 3-0 lead through the first 75 seconds. USMMA responded with a 9-2 run capped off with a Drew Zalescik three to put the Mariners up 9-5 five and a half minutes in. Merchant Marine remained in front for a majority of the ensuing ten minutes, with the visitors' lead peaking at a five-point advantage. With USMMA protecting a 23-20 lead with 4:16 left in the half, the Valiants found their footing, going on an 11-0 run to close out the opening 20 minutes. A Giordano layup and Lotito three kickstarted the charged and gave the Valiants the lead once again, this time one they protected the rest of the way.
The run carried into the start of the second half as Saint-Louis and Lotito both hit a three-pointer to make it 17 unanswered points and putting the Valiants up 37-23. The Mariners were able to put an end to their scoring drought as Bryce Bristow hit a shot from deep for their first points in more than eight and a half minutes of game time. The 11-point deficit USMMA faced with 17:05 left in regulation proved to be as closed as the Mariners would get, with the Valiants scoring the next seven points to push their lead to a game-high 18. Merchant Marine had one last effort in them in the closing minutes, going on an 8-1 run to narrow the gap back down to 11 with 2:54 to play. However, the Valiants got the job done at the free throw line to hold off any last-minute comeback bid, advancing to the semis with the 73-60 win.
Up Next
The Valiants hit the road for Thursday's semifinal matchup as Manhattanville will take on second-seeded Yeshiva, who defeated Mount Saint Vincent 84-76 in their quarterfinals matchup on Tuesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. from the Max Stern Athletic Center in New York, N.Y. Tickets will be available for purchase through the Skyline Conference website in the coming hours.
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