PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University women's basketball team put an end to a two-game skid on Saturday afternoon with a 65-36 victory over Medgar Evers in the Valiants' non-conference finale. With the win, Manhattanville improves to 7-3 overall ahead of 14-straight Skyline Conference matchups, while the Cougars fall to 1-6 on the season as they now gear up for CUNYAC action to enter full swing.

It was far from a pretty game on either side of the floor as the game saw 61 total turnovers. 40 of those belonged to the Cougars as Manhattanville's defense was a nightmare for Medgar Evers to attempt to move the ball through. The Valiants earned 29 steals, the most in a single game by the team since logging 29 takeaways against Fisher College all the way back in 2009. Ten different Manhattanville players logged a takeaway, with Gabby Tucker's (Port Chester, N.Y./Blind Brook) seven and Kathleen O'Mara's (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) five leading the effort.

Julie Debrocky (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) finished as the leading scorer with 18 points, her seventh game in double-figures on the season. The junior did most of her damage from deep with a 4-for-7 effort beyond the arc, hitting four three-pointers for the third time this season. Debrocky added seven rebounds, three steals, a pair of assists and a block.

While creating chaos defensively and on transitions, O'Mara also posted her first double-digit scoring performance since Nov. 15, scoring ten on a 5-for-12 effort. The freshman forward added five boards and a pair of blocks before fouling out after 22 minutes on the floor.

Esther Ramos (Queens, N.Y./Forest Hills) ended the day with 10 rebounds to lead all players, including a career-high five offensive caroms. Tucker and Niyona Smith (Baltimore, MD/Concordia Prep) each finished with six rebounds, with Tucker also leading the assist effort with five while Smith dished out four helpers along with three blocks.

Medgar Evers struck first on Sheily Quezada's jumper six seconds in, but it was all Manhattanville the rest of the way. The Valiants shot a game-best 40 percent in the opening quarter en route to a 19-8 lead after the opening ten minutes, scoring seven straight points after the Cougars' opening basket before going on an 8-0 run later in the frame. O'Mara spotted the Vals an 11 point lead at the buzzer with a jump shot in the closing seconds.

Manhattanville went just 5-for-20 from the floor in the second quarter, but connected on three shots from deep along with a 9-for-12 effort at the free throw line to outscore the Cougars 22-7 in the period to blow the game wide open. Medgar Evers was held without a basket for the first five and a half minutes of the quarter, seeing the Valiant lead climb up to 18. The Cougars made it a 12 point game with two minutes left in the half, but Manhattanville went on a 14-0 run to close things out, up 41-15 at the halftime horn.

With plenty of breathing room to work with, the Valiants outscored Medgar Evers 24-21 in the second half to wrap up the game. Seven different players recorded a field goal over the closing 20 minutes, with Debrocky's seven points leading the second-half scoring.

Up Next
A light week is on deck as conference play revs up. The Valiants play their lone contest on Tuesday night at Old Westbury at 7 p.m.

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