PURCHASE, N.Y. – Andrew Saint-Louis (Norwalk, Conn./Notre Dame Fairfield) became the 29
th member of the Manhattanville University men's basketball 1,000 point club while
Jon Merceus earned the first win of his head coaching career as the Valiants took down Mitchell College in a thriller of a season-opener, 77-74, on Saturday evening. This is the first time the Valiants open the year 1-0 since the 2022-23 campaign.
Saint-Louis continued what he has done during his three previous years with the Valiants in his graduate season debut—score. The Norwalk product played a full 40 minutes and finished tied for the team lead with 24 points, shooting .500 from the floor, hitting a pair of threes and going a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line. He eclipsed the 1,000 point plateau with his final and biggest bucket of the night, a layup with 32 seconds remaining that put the Valiants back in front 73-72 and spotted the home team a lead it protected up to the final horn.
Isiah Middleton (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian) also shined as the junior transfer matched Saint-Louis' output in his Valiant debut. Middleton shot 9-of-13 from the floor and was also 6-for-6 at the charity stripe while leading the Valiants with nine rebounds and a pair of steals. Another new face in
Chris Robinson (Bedford-Stuyvesant, N.Y./Westminster School) joined the duo in double-figures, with the senior transfer scoring 17 on a 6-for-13 effort from the floor.
The Valiants shut down the deep ball, holding Mitchell to an 0-for-10 effort on three point attempts. It was the first time Manhattanville held a team scoreless from beyond the arc since 2008 when the Valiants forced Eastern to go 0-for-9 on three pointers.
What the Mariners lacked in success from three point land they found in the paint, scoring 50 of their 74 total points in the key. The Valiants also did a majority of their damage from short range, with 42 points coming in the paint.
Manhattanville was in firm control over the opening four and a half minutes, going on an 11-0 run to begin the season. Mitchell woke up after calling timeout, going on a 17-6 run over the ensuing five minutes to tie the game at 17-17. After another tie at 19-19, a Saint-Louis three put the Valiants back in the driver's seat to begin a 19-9 charge over the final 8:14 of the first half to take a 38-28 lead into the locker room.
The Valiants pushed its lead back up to a game-high 13 three minutes into the half following a Saint Louis and-one, 45-32. With the game once again on the verge of becoming a Manhattanville runaway, Mitchell went on a heater with 32 points in 12 minutes to tie the game back up at 64-64 with five minutes to play.
The Mariners took the lead for the first time all night with 4:22 remaining on an Abdul Mansaray layup. A back-and-forth furious final four minutes ensued with six total lead changes, capped off by Saint-Louis' 1,000-point bucket with 32 seconds left to put the Valiants up 73-72.
Carlos Urena (Corona, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) drilled a pair of crucial free throws on the ensuing possession before putting the game on ice with another two in the Valiants' final possession as David Stallworth's prayer at the buzzer clanged off the rim, allowing Manhattanville to escape with the win.
Up Next
Manhattanville begins a three-game road trip on Wednesday at Western Connecticut. Tipoff against the Wolves is scheduled for 5 p.m.
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