UNION, N.J. – Four Valiants scored in double figures as the Manhattanville University men's basketball team fell 76-67 at Kean University on Monday night. The Valiants drop to 0-2 to begin the season with the loss.
Isiah Middleton (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian) played a full 40 minutes, scoring 18 points on a very efficient 9-for-12 night rom the floor. The senior's seven rebounds and two blocks also led the team while dishing out three assists.
Middleton's effort was complimented by fellow starters
Jaiden Gaston (Queens Village, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) and
John Ranaghan (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) scoring 16 and 13, respectively. The pair both hit three shots from deep, with Gaston's four assists and two steals marking team highs while Ranaghan came down with five boards and added three assists, a block and a steal.
Carlos Urena (Corona, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) put up 12 points in his 20 minutes off the bench.
A Middleton jumper and Gaston three accounted for the opening points of the night to put the Valiants up in the first 1:12. The visitors held the lead through the first eight minutes, leading by as many as six. The Cougars closed the gap and took the lead on an 11-0 run to go up 17-12 with 9:42 left in the half. Kean would maintain the advantage for the rest of the night, leading by as many as 13 across the opening 20 minutes. Daniel Dextraze hit Kean's fourth three-pointer of the first with 1:27 remaining, but Ranaghan responded with a deep ball of his own on Manattanville's final possession of the half to send the teams into the locker room with the Valiants trailing 37-27.
Manhattanville shot 48 percent from the field in the second half and went 8-for-8 at the free throw line, but had trouble keeping pace as Kean was sent to the stripe 21 times. The Valiants were able to tie the game at 47-47 with 12:03 remaining as Urena converted an and-one to cap off a 7-0 run but could not retake the lead as Adam Silas hit a layup and a three for the Cougars. A Middleton dunk made it a one possession game again before the Cougars scored six unanswered points to start to pull away, leading 58-49 with 8:16 to go.
After Urena hit a layup with 6:23 left in regulation to cut the deficit back down to four, the Valiants went nearly four and a half minutes without a field goal, allowing the Cougars to retake a double-digit lead. Kean continued to hit their free throws, going 8-for-8 at the line over the closing 1:34 to close out the win.
Up Next
The Valiants return to play on Wednesday at WestConn for a 7 p.m. contest.
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