PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University women's basketball team saw its season come to an end on Tuesday night as the third-seeded Valiants fell to No. 6 Mount Saint Vincent by a final of 47-41. The Valiants finish the year with an 18-7 overall season.

Offense took a backseat in what became a slugfest as the night played out. The Valiants matched their season-low offensive output, while the Dolphins' 47 points marked the third fewest points in a game this year. In the end, the Dolphins' 11-for-11 stretch at the free throw line in the fourth quarter made the difference as Mount Saint Vincent advances to Thursday's semifinals at No. 2 Mount Saint Mary, looking to continue defending their 2024 title.

In her final collegiate game, Niyona Smith (Baltimore, MD/Concordia Prep) led the offense and flirted with a double-double. The senior scored 15, her highest offensive output in her last 16 games. Smith shot 6-of-11 from the field and added three free throws while also coming away with nine rebounds.

Smith's board total was only topped by Esther Ramos (Queens, N.Y./Forest Hills) who finished with 11. Ramos added a team-high three assists while providing six points.

Julie Debrocky (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) was the only other Valiant to reach double figures offensively, scoring 10 on 4-of-7 shooting. The junior hit a pair from beyond the arc and added four boards off the defensive glass.

Gabby Tucker (Port Chester, N.Y./Blind Brook) was back from injury, playing 34 minutes off the bench with a team-high four steals to compliment her four points, two assists and one rebound.

An early sign of how the night would play out, the two offenses combined for just six total field goals in the opening quarter. Erin Smith and Michaela Ligon spotted the Dolphins the opening lead on the night with a pair of field goals across the first three minutes. The Valiants got on the board with a Debrocky three with 5:46 left in the quarter, opening a 9-0 run that looked to get the home team off and running. However, it was a quiet final 3:45 with the Dolphins scoring the only field goal on an Ashley Marrocco three-pointer while Smith provided a pair of free throws for the Valiants to spot Manhattanville an 11-7 advantage through ten minutes.

Mount Saint Vincent hit three straight baskets to open the second to go ahead 14-11. It was the first of seven lead changes to close out the half as neither side could get into a sustained rhythm. Debrocky hit from deep again with 1:27 left in the quarter to put the Valiants up 22-21, but Jakaia Lotz responded in the following possession after a timeout with a layup to provide the final points of the half, giving the Dolphins the narrow 23-22 advantage.

Tucker put Manhattanville ahead out of the locker room as the third saw three more lead changes and three tied scores. Just 17 total points went up on the board in the quarter as defense maintained the upper hand. Grace Kennedy put the Dolphins up 28-26 with a jumper before Ramos tied it up two minutes later with a layup. It would take another four minutes for the follow-up basket to fall, with Smith hitting a floater to give the lead back to Manhattanville. Julia Angeles tied it up again for the Dolphins, but Debrocky hit a layup in the Valiants' final possession of the quarter to take a 32-30 lead into the final quarter.

Manhattanville shot 44 percent in the fourth and held the Dolphins to a 3-for-13 clip from the floor, but foul trouble doomed the home side as Mount Saint Vincent hit all 11 free throw attempts to close out the night. The Dolphins tied the game up three times, with Smith responding to put the Valiants back ahead with baskets each time. After Kennedy converted an and-one, Smith connected on a layup to put the Valiants up 38-37 with 4:42 to play. The Dolphins drew a foul in their ensuing possession, with Lotz hitting both at the line. Those would be the final points for more than four minutes as neither side could buy a bucket. With time winding down and Dolphins nursing the one point lead, the Valiants looked to have jumped back in front with a layup with under a minute to play, but Manhattanville was whistled for an offensive foul that wiped the points off the board. Mount Saint Vincent hit eight final free throws to close out the game.

Mount Saint Vincent advances to the semifinals to take on Mount Saint Mary on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

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