PURCHASE, N.Y. - The Manhattanville men's basketball team handled the visiting Pratt Cannoneers, 75-55, in Thursday afternoon's contest at Kennedy Gymnasium. The Valiants improve to 15-7 with the victory in their last nonconference tune-up.
Every single Valiant that suited up touched the floor, with standout performances coming from
Manny Udeagha (Yonkers, N.Y./Aduvie International School) and
Daniel Marinaccio (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph By The Sea), with 14 and eleven, respectively. Udegha's game-high point total was flanked by another game-high with nine rebounds. All told, thirteen Valiants notched a tally in the scoresheet.
To open the first half, the Cannoneers jumped out to the early lead, after jumping out to a 11-7 lead following a layup by the big man Thomas Van Trier, forcing the Valiants to take the first timeout of the contest. That would prove to be the biggest lead of the game for Pratt, as the Valiants swiftly took the lead back with an
Andrew Melillo (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) jumper, who had eight points and seven rebounds of his own, with 09:50 remaining in the half. Manhattanville would close out the remaining ten minutes with a 17-7 run, applying pressure on both ends of the court, forcing the Cannoneers to shoot 33.3 percent from the field in the opening twenty minutes. Manhattanville would head into the break with the 35-23 lead over their counterparts.
Over the next nine minutes of gameplay, the Valiants would push the margin further in their favor, when Udegha and Melilo traded baskets to push the Manhattanville lead to 49-27, a 22-point disparity. The Valiant bench unit would check-in, keeping the same intensity that was laid before them and continuing to keep the lead. The lead ballooned further after
Anthony Russo (Howard Beach, N.Y./Holy Cross) connected on back-to-back attempts from deep, seeing the lead grow to 25 when
Zach Garrant (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill High School) checked in and scored four straight points to push the score to 75-51, the highest margin of the night for the Valiants. The final buzzer sounded, seeing the scoreboard show the Valiants earn the 75-55 win in their final nonconference bout of the season.
Up Next
The Valiants remain at home for their Senior Day on Saturday where they welcome in the Farmingdale State Rams, who hold an unbeaten mark in conference play, at 2 p.m.
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