PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University women's basketball team suffered a setback to open up the week on Tuesday night, falling to visiting Merchant Marine 59-41 inside Kennedy Gymnasium.

The Valiants (11-5, 8-4 Skyline) had no answer to the Mariners' presence off the boards. USMMA (17-1, 14-0 Skyline) outrebounded Manhattanville 58-25. The minus-33 rebound margin is the largest the Valiants have faced in a single game in at least 20 years, with the online records only extending back to the 2005-06 season. The Mariners had 24 offensive rebounds to Manhattanville's seven, and outscored the Valiants 17-0 on second-chance opportunities.

Despite being unable to go toe-to-toe against USMMA's height advantage, Manhattanville was able to hold a Mariner offense that entered the night averaging close to 69 points per game to 59 points. The Valiants are just the third team to hold USMMA to less than 60 points this season, but it was not enough to keep the Mariners from extending their program-record winning streak up to 16-straight games.

The Valiants' 41 points marked a low on the season, with the Valiants shooting just 29 percent from the floor and 18 percent from deep. Julie Debrocky (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) was the only Valiant to find multiple success from downtown as she led the team with 13 points, shooting 3-of-10 from beyond the arc. Esther Ramos (Queens, N.Y./Forest Hills) accounted for the Valiants' lone other three-ball, going 1-for-4 from deep as she finished with nine points.

Ramos' five rebounds was tied with Niyona Smith (Baltimore, MD/Concordia Prep) for the most on the Valiants in the loss. Gabby Tucker (Port Chester, N.Y./Blind Brook) collected four caroms while logging a team-leading four steals, while Debrocky also came down with four off the glass.

After three tied scores over the first 2:17 of action, USMMA built out the first multi-score lead with a Kaira Winston free throw and a Hannah Ramsden three-pointer to put the visitors up 10-6. Manhattanville would attempt to play catch-up the rest of the way home as the Mariners' lead climbed up to seven with a minute left in the quarter. Manhattanville grabbed momentum to close things out, scoring on back-to-back possessions with jumpers from Ramos and Tucker to make it a 17-14 game at the first horn.

Abby Stramski bought USMMA some breathing room with a jump shot to begin the second quarter, beginning a 13-2 Mariner run. The Valiants went close to eight minutes without a field goal as Merchant's lead climbed to 30-16. Tucker snapped the Valiants' scoreless streak with a free throw before Debrocky hit the home team's first three-pointer of the night to bring Manhattanville back within ten. Debrocky hit again, this time from close range, to make it an eight-point game before Carolae Barton went 1-for-2 at the line to close the half with Merchant leading 31-22.

Manhattanville brought the game within seven to begin the third quarter before an eight-point USMMA surge stopped the Valiants from fighting back in. Trailing 41-26, the Valiants put up the only four points of the final three minutes on a Debrocky three and an Amanda Orlando (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) free throw to put the deficit at 11 entering the final frame. Manhattanville would be unable to get back within striking distance as a Barton layup and Stramski three put the home team in a 16-point hole with eight and a half left to play. Manhattanville got as close as 12 points down to close out the night before USMMA used another 8-0 run to put any comeback hope to rest, ultimately taking the win 59-41.

Up Next
The Valiants now turn their attention to the weekend, taking on Saint Joseph's Brooklyn on Saturday at 1 p.m.

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