MAHWAH, N.J. – The Manhattanville University women's basketball team made its return to action to kick off the new year on Saturday afternoon, falling 51-47 in a non-conference contest at Ramapo College. The loss snaps the Valiants' seven-game win streak, dropping Manhattanville to 8-3 overall while the Roadrunners improve to 5-7 to conclude both teams' non-conference slates.

The 47 points was Manhattanville's lowest offensive output of the season as the Valiants struggled to get much going against the Roadrunner defense, shooting a season-worst .321 from the floor. Despite the cold shooting coming out of the winter break, the Valiants were able to have three of the starting five reach double digits. Amanda Orlando (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) led with 12 points, hitting four short ranger field goals to go along with four free throws. Julie DeBrocky (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) and Esther Ramos (Queens, N.Y./Forest Hills) added 11 points apiece, with DeBrocky accounting for all three of the Valiants' three-pointers in the afternoon while Ramos going 4-for-9 on field goals and 3-of-4 at the stripe.

Ramos led all players with nine rebounds, continuing to pace the Valiants with 7.0 boards per contest. Orlando added six rebounds with three steals, with Gabby Tucker (Port Chester, N.Y./Blind Brook) providing five boards, eight points and a team-leading four assists.

The lead changed hands 20 times in the back-and-forth battle to begin the second half of the season, starting with the Roadrunners opening the day on a 10-2 run through the first 4:10. Mnhattanville took over to close out the opening quarter with 16 consecutive points to go up 18-10 with 49 seconds remaining. Orlando and Ramos got the run started with the first nine points ahead of buckets from DeBrocky, Kathleen O'Mara (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) and Tucker. After more than five minutes without a point, Ramapo closed out the first with a pair of free throws from Jayda Sharp and a Jorie Boyle jumper at the buzzer to make it a four point game.

A Tucker layup and DeBrocky deep ball to begin the second gave the Valiants its largest lead of the game at 23-14. The Roadrunners were quick to erase the deficit as Lauren Flatt drilled back-to-back threes to begin a 10-0 run to put Ramapo up 24-23 with 5:37 left in the half. After the hot shooting opened the quarter, the teams combined for just three field goals to close out the quarter, trading the lead on each shot. Orlando delivered the final jab of the half with a layup to put the Valiants up 27-26 through 20 minutes.

The Valiants continued to hold the lead through the first four minutes of the half before Ramapo claimed its first advantage of the third off a Flatt jumper. The Roadrunners pushed the lead as high as six and held a four-point advantage with three minutes left on the clock before Manhattanville ended the frame with five straight points to reclaim the narrow 42-41 advantage heading into the fourth.

Manhattanville finished the game just 1-for-14 from the field in the fourth quarter, unable to find the shots needed to put the contest away. A pair of Orlando free throws put the Valiants up by three with 8:09 remaining ahead of Ramapo getting a pair from Vaness Kohler at the stripe and a Denay Jones layup with 6:30 to go, putting the home team up 45-44. Neither team scored for the following two and a half minutes before Orlando delivered the Valiants' lone field goal of the quarter with a floater to put Manhattanville back up by a point. The game would be decided at the free throw line, as Jones for Ramapo and Maia Velazaquez for Manhattanville each went 1-for-2 in their trips to the line to keep the Valiants in front 47-46 entering the final minute of play. With baskets coming at a premium in the prior nine minutes, Flatt delivered the biggest shot of the affair with a go-ahead layup with 38 seconds to play. Manhattanville could not get the potential go-ahead and tying shots to fall as the Roadrunners put the game out of reach with three more free throws to close out the 51-47 win.

Up Next
The Valiants pick conference play back up on Tuesday evening, heading to Purchase College for a 6 p.m. matchup against the Panthers.

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