PURCHASE, N.Y. –  Junior Courtney Turner (Staten Island, N.Y.) led all scorers with 23 points as the Manhattanville women's basketball team defeated New York University, 63-57, on Wednesday evening in a non-conference battle at Kennedy Gym.

Although shooting on both sides was not spectacular, the Valiants finished the game shooting 39 percent from the field compared to 37 percent shooting by the Violets. Turner was the game changer for the Valiants, as she shot 8-of-11 from the field and 7-of-11 from the line along with six rebounds. Sophomore Taylor Wilson (Pearl River, N.Y.) also took charge in the game finishing with 11 points.  The Valiants added secondary scoring from the remaining players on the court, as all but one player contributed at least one point.  Helping the team in a different role in the game was senior Simona Gordon (Cambridge, Mass.), finishing with a team-high seven rebounds and contributing seven points.

Leading the way for NYU was Maggie Ely with 17 points. Makenzie Hirz was a threat in the post against the Valiants, finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds, but also committed six turnovers. The Violets out-rebounded the Valiants, 43-33, in the contest as the combination of Hirz and Erica Franke pulled down 18 boards.

In a half where there were nine ties and five lead changes, neither team took hold of the contest early nor took a lead by more than four points as both squads traded baskets throughout the first half. NYU took their largest lead early in the first half, 6-2, but a jumper by junior Kelli Hyjek (Tolland, Conn.) and a pair of free throws by Gordon tied the contest for the second time. The Valiants took one of two three-point leads with 8:42 remaining on a backend free throw by Turner. Turner finished the half with 10 points as the teams went into the locker room deadlocked at 28.

In the second half, NYU began with a 4-0 run with a pair of points in the paint from Hirz. Manhattanville answered back each time the Violets made a run in the second half and fought back from a five-point deficit (35-30) with free throws by freshman Beranda Felder (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and a three-pointer by sophomore Janetta Arnold (Windsor, Conn.) to tie the game for the tenth time at 35.

The Valiants began to spread the lead as they used a 14-4 run to take a 59-50 lead with just under a minute remaining in the contest on a jumper by Turner. NYU made its first basket after a six-minute scoring drought with 38 seconds left as a layup by Hirz cut the deficit to seven. The Valiants needed clutch free throws from Turner to secure the victory as NYU tried to make a comeback with 11 seconds remaining but a turnover and a missed three pointer gave the Valiants the win.  Turner added 13 more points in the final stanza on 4-of-5 shooting and 5-of-7 from the line.

Manhattanville (4-4, 1-1 Freedom) will take on Brooklyn College in the CUNYAC Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Lehman College in the Bronx, N.Y. at 1 p.m. NYU (4-3) will host Juniata on Saturday at 3 p.m.