PURCHASE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville women's basketball team used an explosive third quarter to secure the 54-43 victory at home over St. Joseph's Long Island (7-6, 3-5), pushing to the best start in conference play in program history, 8-0 (10-3).

Esther Ramos (Queens, N.Y./Forest Hills) led the way for the Vals, knocking down 14 points and grabbing six boards. Following close behind with 12 was classmate Gabby Tucker (Port Chester, N.Y./Blind Brook). The senior guard put pressure on the away team, taking away four steals and pulling down three defensive rebounds.
Kathleen O'Mara (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) made her mark across the court during her 36 minutes, recording 10 points, seven rebounds, dishing out three assists, grabbing three steals, and shutting down the Golden Eagles with three blocks.
Also reaching double-digits, Amanda Orlando (Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley) recorded 10 of her own. Leading the way with Tucker, she forced away four steals, sent out two, and grabbed three boards. The final Valiant to add to the victory was Julie DeBrocky (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac), tallying eight while leading the squad with nine rebounds and three assists.
All the Valiants' scoring opportunities came from the five starters in the contest.

The Golden Eagles' scoring was led by Isabelle Lebron with 11. Chantelle Larbi followed in suit with eight points, while leading her team in rebounds with nine and steals with three.

The lead changed hands in the first half of gameplay, with both teams experiencing on-and-off scoring droughts before meeting at 19 at halftime.
The Valiants came out of the locker room hot in the third quarter, going on a quick 9-0 run over the first four minutes, led by four from Ramos. A hard drive in the paint allowed Tucker to convert a critical three-point play, pushing Manhattanville out by eleven with 4:29 to go.   While SJLI battled back, five apiece from DeBrocky and Tucker kept the Valiants ahead, not allowing the game within four points in a 15-11 run to wrap up the electric quarter up 43-32.
An even 11 points from each team in the final quarter secured the Valiants' victory 54-43.

Up Next – Tonight's game opened up a three-game homestand for women's basketball with the next matchup coming against Old Westbury on Tuesday, Jan 13, at 6 PM.