RIVERDALE, N.Y. - In a contest where neither team could separate themselves, the Manhattanville University men's basketball team saw their one-point margin disappear in the closing seconds from a driving floater in the lane, dropping the Skyline bout to Mount Saint Vincent, 66-65, on Saturday afternoon. With the result, Manhattanville now sits outside looking in on the playoff chase, needing every ball to bounce their way.
After going up by one from back-to-back John Ranaghan (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) free throws, the Dolphins subsequently went down the court and ran a play for Alex Chi to catch and drive in the corner, drilling the floater in the paint and putting UMSV up by one with six-tenths left in regulation.
Andrew Saint-Louis (Norwalk, Conn./Notre Dame Fairfield) led the charge for the Valiants, collecting a game-high 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting and ripping away a game-high four steals. Ranaghan followed closely behind with 15 points, cashing in on three deep heaves, as Andrew Melillo (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) rounded out the double-digit scorers with ten points.
Manhattanville would start with their largest lead of the contest at the 16:58 mark, thanks to active defensive efforts from Saint-Louis and Melillo, leading to points on the other end seeing the Valiants sit at a six-point lead of 8-2. Over the remainder of the first half, neither team would hold a margin of more than three points, Josiah Basket put the Dolphins ahead by two, 32-30 with a final possession jump, as the game headed into the second half.
In the second stanza, the Valiants evened the score in their opening possession, sparking UMSV to embark on a 12-5 run over the next 6:27 of game times, and forcing the Valiants into a 2-of-10 shooting slump. Blake Salice-Mitchell powered the Dolphins scoring half of their twelve points in the run, setting the score at 44-37. Manhattanville would outscore their counterparts 29-25 over the final 12:25 of the match, using ten points each from Saint-Louis and Ranaghan, also getting a contribution from Benjamin Merritt (West Hartford, Conn./Kingswood Oxford) off the bench with five points, as the Valiants sliced into the built-up lead from the charity stripe converting on 10-of-14 foul shots. Manhattanville would take their first lead of the second frame from Ranaghan's two free throws, leading the Chi to put away the Valiants in the closing seconds, 66-65.
Up Next
Manhattanville heads across the Hudson to go head-to-head with Mount Saint Mary on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.
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