PURCHASE, N.Y. – Manhattanville University men's basketball fell in a nailbiter against Purchase College, 56-54, on Saturday afternoon. The Valiants move to 11-12 (6-8) while the Panthers improve to 10-14

The Valiants were led by Isiah Middleton (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian) as he secured his third double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds. The junior also topped the chart with a block and two of the team's nine steals.
John Ranaghan (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) was close behind with 13 points of his own while adding six rebounds and a steal. The final Valiant to reach double digits was Andrew Saint-Louis (Norwalk, Conn./Notre Dame Fairfield) with 11. Saint-Louis fronted the night with four assists while he also grabbed eight boards.
The Panthers were carried by a double-double from Desmond Ward with 11 points, 18 rebounds, three steals, and a block. From his rebounds, 14 were on the Valiants' side of the court.

The first half set the tone for the afternoon with a prominent back-and-forth sequence. In the first nine minutes of gameplay, the Valiants took the lead before three changes. Saint-Louis led the run with five, as Middleton added in two, as the home team took a lead of 10-7. After a two-minute scoring drought, Daniel Marinaccio (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph By The Sea) got his team scoring again with two back-to-back long balls. Middleton and Ranaghan drove through the paint to add four apiece to wrap the first period in a deficit of five, 26-21.
Manhattanville held a slight edge coming out of the locker room, going on an 18-13 run lead by nine from Ranaghan to meet Purchase at 39 with 8:30 to go. Despite a strong effort from the away team, the Panthers took the lead and held it, going on a 17-15 run. Their two-point advantage ultimately won them the game, 56-54.

Up Next – The Valiants head on the road for the last time in the regular season against Sarah Lawrence on Wednesday, Feb 18, at 7 PM.