NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University men's basketball team battled through an intense match on Tuesday night, securing a dramatic double-overtime road victory over John Jay. The four-point win—one of the Valiants' grittiest performances of the season—featured momentum swings, consistent defensive pressure, and key plays from across the roster. The win also marks the first time the Valiants have gone into double-overtime since January 29th 2011 against Kings College with a 115-111 win at home.
John Jay opened the night with a free throw for a 1–0 lead before Andrew Saint-Louis (Norwalk, Conn./Notre Dame Fairfield) answered at 18:28 to put Manhattanville ahead 2–1. After the Bloodhounds briefly regained the edge at, Saint-Louis scored again at 13:13 to make it 4–3. Robinson then sparked the offense with a fast-break finish at 12:49 for a 6–3 lead. After John Jay trimmed it to 6–5, Chris Robinson (Bedford-Stuyvesant, N.Y./Westminster School) knocked down a three at 11:34 to push the margin to 9–7.
Andrew Melillo (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) entered and made an immediate impact, helping fuel a run that included a Robinson fast-break layup at 10:27 to further lead 11–7 followed by a John Ranaghan (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) three at 9:46 raising the deficit further 14–7. John Jay hit a three to cut it to 14–10, but Melillo steadied the Valiants with four straight free throws and a layup to extend the lead to 20–10. Saint-Louis added a transition finish at 4:21 for a 22–10 advantage. Robinson's fire continued with a layup at 3:33 pushed the lead to 24–10 before John Jay closed the half on a small run to make it 29–19 at the break.
John Jay opened the second half with a three, but Middleton's free throws at 19:06 restored a 31–22 lead. Carlos Urena (Corona, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) scored in transition at 17:21 to lead by 11. Robinson added two baskets, and Melillo scored at 14:57 to keep Manhattanville in control at 39–25. A Saint-Louis three at 14:00 made it 42–26, and back-to-back Ranaghan buckets pushed the score to a game-high lead by 19.
John Jay responded with a series of threes, eventually cutting the deficit to 49–39 at 10:18. The Bloodhounds continued to surge late, chipping away until they tied the game 57-57 with just over two minutes remaining, eventually taking the Valiants to overtime tied 63-63.
In the first overtime, Ranagan scored early just over 15 seconds into the period. Saint-Louis secured crucial rebounds and baskets while Urena continued to add to the Valiants tally, keeping the game even and sending it to a second overtime.
Manhattanville struck first in double OT, as Saint-Louis secured a turnover and ignited a 10–3 run. With under a minute to play, the Valiants forced consecutive turnovers, and Middleton's final defensive rebound allowed Manhattanville to seal the four-point victory at the free-throw line 90-86.
Up Next:
The Valiants return to the court to begin Skyline Conference play on Saturday, December 13th, facing Yeshiva University at 8:30 PM in New York, N.Y.
