PATCHOGUE, N.Y. – The Manhattanville University women's basketball team suffered its first setback in conference play in the 2025-26 season on Saturday, falling to Saint Joseph's University Long Island on the road, 47-40. The loss snaps the Valiants' nine-game winning streak as the team falls to 17-4 overall and 15-1 against the Skyline Conference.

Saturday was Manhattanville's lowest offensive output in more than three years, when the Valiants were defeated by Wisconsin Whitewater 70-35 on Dec. 18, 2023. It is also only the second time Manhattanville has lost to the Golden Eagles since 2003, with the only other loss in that stretch coming on Jan. 16, 2025.

The Valiants only shot .313 in the contest, their lowest mark in a game this season. Manhattanville also went 4-of-20 from deep, sinking only on three pointer over the first three quarters. Esther Ramos (Queens, N.Y./Forest Hills) was still able to produce despite the team's overall shooting woes, putting up 14 points on a 7-of-15 clip from short range. Gabby Tucker (Port Chester, N.Y./Blind Brook) also reached double digits with 12 points, hitting four field goals with a three-pointer and going 3-of-6 at the free throw line.

The Golden Eagles also dominated off the glass, outrebounding the Valiants 46-26. The minus-20 rebound margin was the worst Manhattanville had suffered in a game this season. Ramos and Julie DeBrocky (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) finished with five rebounds to lead Manhattanville's effort.

Kathleen O'Mara (Huntington, N.Y./Walt Whitman) had three steals and two blocks, leading the Valiants in both categories.

Saint Joseph's scored the opening six points of the contest and never let go of the lead. The Valiants only shot better than 27 percent in the fourth quarter, unable to make up the early ground captured by the Golden Eagles. O'Mara and Ramos responded to the run with back-to-back layups to wake the Valiant offense up, but the home side retook a five-point lead off Chantelle Larbi's layup with 3:56 on the clock. That would be the final points of what was a low-scoring quarter, as the sides combined to finish 0-for-7 from the field and post seven turnovers to end the stanza with SJLI leading 11-6.

Offense continued to come at a premium in the second quarter with just five total field goals combined to close out the half. Manhattanville benefited by hitting four of their first six free throw attempts and Madison Carlo (Carmel, N.Y./Kennedy Catholic) snapped the Valiants' 0-for-6 start from deep with the team's first three to bring the Vals back within a single possession with 31 seconds to go, but Gabriella Andreacchi hit two of three free throws to close out the half to maintain the Golden Eagles' five point lead into halftime, 20-15.

Saint Joseph's had its best quarter of the contest in the third, shooting 50 percent (8-of-16) to begin pulling away. Manhattanville's struggles from deep continued as the Valiants missed on all seven of their deep tries in an attempt to narrow the gap. The Golden Eagles opened the third on a 9-0 run to take a 14-point advantage, with the lead eventually climaxing at a 15-point difference. Ramos hit a jumper to close out the quarter to trim the deficit to 13, 38-25.

Manhattanville's offense finally got into a rhythm, shooting 50 percent from the field and from deep in the fourth, but it was too little, too late to make up the ground. The Valiants got as close as four points following a 10-0 run bookended by threes from Tucker and Orlando with 6:19 to play. The Golden Eagles brought an end to the run with a Rebecca Vitale three as SJLI drilled a pair of shots from deep in the final five minutes to hold off the Valiats' furious comeback effort, handing Manhattanville its first conference loss since last Feburary.

Up Next
The Valiants look to return to form on Tuesday in the team's penultimate home game of the regular season. Manhattanville hosts Purchase at 6 p.m. for the Valiants' Mental Health Awareness Game.

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