NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Manhattanville College sunk four free throws inside the final minute of the first overtime to emerge with a 68-66 victory over Mount Saint Mary College in non-conference action Monday night. The Valiants improve to 3-1 overall, while the Knights drop to 2-2.
Trailing by one with under three minutes to play in overtime, junior Donte Howell (Baldwin, N.Y.) found senior Ryan Straub (Massapequa, N.Y.) open on the wing and Straub drained a triple to give the Knights a two point advantage. After four consecutive empty trips, Manhattanville freshman Anthony Maestre (Bronx, N.Y.) found his way to the line with 57 seconds remaining and made both attempts to tie the game at 66-66.
On the ensuing possession, junior Chris Pisciotta (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) missed a tough shot in the lane and Manhattanville collected the rebound to hold for the last shot. A jumper by Maestre was off the mark with four seconds to play, but graduate student Craig Augustine (Citrus, Fla.) was fouled with the rebound up for grabs in the lane. Augustine made both free throws to give Manhattanville a 68-66 lead.
The Mount had trouble with the ensuing inbounds play and the ball was deflected out of play with just one second remaining. A half-court heave from junior Joe Stabach (Staten Island, N.Y.) was blocked at the buzzer and the Valiants escaped with the two-point win.
In regulation, the Knights trailed by five as the clock ticked under three minutes. At 2:47, Howell cut through the lane and found Stabach in the corner for a three-pointer that cut the deficit to two. Following a stop, Howell slashed to the basket once again, this time finding junior Joe Henain (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) for an easy bucket in the paint to make it 60-60.
With the score still tied at 60-all, the Knights held for the last shot. Howell dribbled the clock down under ten seconds and made his move the hoop. His floating jumper was a touch long and the ball deflected out of play to force overtime.
For the Knights, Straub led the way with 14 points on 4-of-6 from three. Stabach added 13 points and eight rebounds, while Howell finished with 11 points and four assists. Henain totaled eight points and nine rebounds.
Maestre hit on 9-of-18 from the field and 5-of-8 from three for a game-high 29 points. Junior Jack Bramswig (Pleasantville, N.Y.) racked up 15 points and 12 rebounds, while freshman Andrew Winter (Fresh Meadows, N.Y.) added eight points and 12 boards.
The Knights open Skyline Conference play on Thursday with a home game against the College of Mount Saint Vincent. The tip will follow the 6:00 p.m. women's game at 8:00 p.m.