DANBURY, Conn. – The Manhattanville University men's basketball team dropped a 66-45 decision at Western Connecticut State University on Wednesday night. The Valiants fall to 0-3 on the season with the loss while the Wolves open their 2026-27 campaign with a 1-0 mark.
Manhattanville's 45 points was the second-lowest offensive output by the team in the last four years, second only to the 44 the Valiants were limited to in last year's Skyline Conference Tournament loss to Sarah Lawrence. Manhattanville shot .286 from the field on Wednesday night, matching their shooting percentage from the aforementioned Sarah Lawrence game as the second-lowest mark in the last two years (.262 against NYU, Nov. 22).
Jaiden Gaston (Queens Village, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) was the only Valiant in double figures in the loss, scoring 10 to reach double digits in each of his first three games with Manhattanville. The junior transfer shot .364 and went 2-for-3 at the free throw line.
Isiah Middleton (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian) scored eight, being limited to just three total field goal tries while hitting four free throws.
Ian Abreu (Pleasantville, N.Y./Loomis Chaffee) led the Valiants with five rebounds, while Middleton came down with four boards.
Andrew Melillo (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) dished out three assists and was one of four Valiants to record a steal.
Nasir Emery (White Plains, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) led the way with two takeaways, while Abreu and
Emerson Mitchell (Dunwoody, Ga./Dunwoody) both added one.
Emery, Gaston and
Carlos Urena (Corona, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) ended the night with a block each.
The Valiants started hot as
John Ranaghan (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) and Melillo hit threes to take a 6-5 lead. The Wolves and Valiants traded layups ahead of a pair of Middleton free throws to put the Valiants up 10-7 through 4:18 into the game. However, the Valiants would go more than six minutes without a field goal as the Wolves scored 12 unanswered to take a 19-10 lead. Ranaghan snapped the Manhattanville cold spell with a three, which would prove to be the Valiants' last three-pointer of the night with 10:11 left in the half.
Manhattanville connected on just two field goals across the final ten minutes of the half, but were able to keep pace with the Wolves by shooting 8-for-9 at the free throw line down the stretch. WestConn took an eight point lead into the half as Avery Taitt-Christina connected from short to close out the final possession to put the Wolves up 33-25.
The Valiants went 6-for-21 in the second half, going 0-for-7 from deep. The Wolves, conversely, hit 55 percent of their shots from the floor to close out the night. Makai Coleman spotted the home side a ten-point lead with a layup to begin the half as the Valiants were unable to get back within single digits over the remainder of the contest. The Wolves led by as many as 26 with seven minutes to play and would ultimately hold a 21-point advantage at the final horn.
Gaston and
Jack Quinn (Greenwich, Conn./The Winchendon School) each had a time-high five points in the second half.
Up Next
The Valiants will look to end the season-opening road trip with a win on Sunday at Penn State Brandywine at 3 p.m.
VALIANTS on SOCIAL MEDIA For the latest on Manhattanville Athletics, follow the Valiants via social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads and YouTube. #WeAreValiant #GoValiants
