PURCHASE, N.Y. – Three Valiants scored in double figures, including graduate student Craig Augustine (Citrus, Fla./Citrus)with 13 points in his final home game, as the Manhattanville men's basketball team used a second-half rally to take down King's (Pa.) and remain in the hunt for a playoff berth with a key 67-61 victory on Senior Day at Kennedy Gym on Saturday evening.
The win was huge for Manhattanville (10-13, 4-8 Freedom) and helped to create a massive log-jam in the conference standings, as the Valiants are one of four teams (King's, Wilkes, Eastern) that sit one-and-a-half games behind fourth-place FDU-Florham (5-6 Freedom), which will face first-place DeSales tomorrow in a game postponed from today.
Junior Jack Bramswig (Pleasantville, N.Y./Pleasantville) and freshman Anthony Maestre (Bronx, N.Y./Mount St. Michael Academy) tied for the team lead with 15 points apiece, with Bramswig also adding 12 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season. Augustine added 13 points and five rebounds in his final home game, including sinking his first career three-pointer in the first half.
Connor Hughes led all scorers with 18 points for the Monarchs, and he was joined in double figures by Tom Heston with 12 and a team-high seven rebounds.
The game, which was originally scheduled for 3 p.m. before being pushed back four hours due to weather, was delayed another 45 minutes due to a clock malfunction in the gym. Seemingly as a result of the delay, both teams came out of the games slowly, as the first 8:25 featured only 12 combined points.
The game was a tight contest from the start, with neither team gaining more than a one-possession edge until nearly 14 minutes had elapsed on the clock. A three-pointer from freshman Sean Sampson (Brooklyn, N.Y./Kent School) gave the Valiants a six-point edge with 6:17 remaining and was part of an 8-2 run that also included a layup and three-point play from Augustine to give the home team a 21-14 lead with 5:35 to go in the half.
However, King's closed the half on a 13-3 run to take back control of the contest. Hughes had five while both Heston and Tim O'Shea had four points apiece during the streak, which allowed the Monarchs to take a 27-24 lead into the intermission.
King's built its lead up to a game-high seven points early in the second half, with a Kyle Hammonds layup putting the visitors up by a 33-26 score with 1:38 gone by in the frame. But this time it was Manhattanville that used a scoring run to regain control, as a pair of Bramswig buckets bookended a 9-2 run for the home team that put them ahead by a point at 35-34 with 14:57 remaining.
Bramswig then countered a jumper by Joe Caffrey with a layup of his own, giving the Valiants a lead they would never relinquish. The lead got down to one (45-44) with 7:45 to go on a steal and transition layup by Hughes, but a three from Maestre and a fast-break dunk by Bramswig got the lead back to six and a jumper from sophomore Wills Flynn (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian) made it an eight-point advantage (52-44) with 5:31 to go.
The lead got up to 10 points on a pair of occasions, the last on a pair of freebies from junior Colin Campbell (Miami, Fla./LaSalle) with 45 ticks remaining, and the Valiants were able to coast home with the win and remain in playoff contention.
Manhattanville shot 55.6 percent (15 for 27) in the second half to finish at 46.3 percent (25 for 54) for the night, and the home team was able to convert 12 King's turnovers into 21 points on the other end. King's shot 37.0 percent (20 for 54) for the evening.
The Valiants do not have it easy the rest of the way, however, as the squad still has to play Delaware Valley and Misericordia on the road next week. Manhattanville begins its playoff push on Tuesday in Doylestown, Pa., against the Aggies beginning at 8 p.m.
The win was huge for Manhattanville (10-13, 4-8 Freedom) and helped to create a massive log-jam in the conference standings, as the Valiants are one of four teams (King's, Wilkes, Eastern) that sit one-and-a-half games behind fourth-place FDU-Florham (5-6 Freedom), which will face first-place DeSales tomorrow in a game postponed from today.
Junior Jack Bramswig (Pleasantville, N.Y./Pleasantville) and freshman Anthony Maestre (Bronx, N.Y./Mount St. Michael Academy) tied for the team lead with 15 points apiece, with Bramswig also adding 12 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season. Augustine added 13 points and five rebounds in his final home game, including sinking his first career three-pointer in the first half.
Connor Hughes led all scorers with 18 points for the Monarchs, and he was joined in double figures by Tom Heston with 12 and a team-high seven rebounds.
The game, which was originally scheduled for 3 p.m. before being pushed back four hours due to weather, was delayed another 45 minutes due to a clock malfunction in the gym. Seemingly as a result of the delay, both teams came out of the games slowly, as the first 8:25 featured only 12 combined points.
The game was a tight contest from the start, with neither team gaining more than a one-possession edge until nearly 14 minutes had elapsed on the clock. A three-pointer from freshman Sean Sampson (Brooklyn, N.Y./Kent School) gave the Valiants a six-point edge with 6:17 remaining and was part of an 8-2 run that also included a layup and three-point play from Augustine to give the home team a 21-14 lead with 5:35 to go in the half.
However, King's closed the half on a 13-3 run to take back control of the contest. Hughes had five while both Heston and Tim O'Shea had four points apiece during the streak, which allowed the Monarchs to take a 27-24 lead into the intermission.
King's built its lead up to a game-high seven points early in the second half, with a Kyle Hammonds layup putting the visitors up by a 33-26 score with 1:38 gone by in the frame. But this time it was Manhattanville that used a scoring run to regain control, as a pair of Bramswig buckets bookended a 9-2 run for the home team that put them ahead by a point at 35-34 with 14:57 remaining.
Bramswig then countered a jumper by Joe Caffrey with a layup of his own, giving the Valiants a lead they would never relinquish. The lead got down to one (45-44) with 7:45 to go on a steal and transition layup by Hughes, but a three from Maestre and a fast-break dunk by Bramswig got the lead back to six and a jumper from sophomore Wills Flynn (Miami, Fla./Westminster Christian) made it an eight-point advantage (52-44) with 5:31 to go.
The lead got up to 10 points on a pair of occasions, the last on a pair of freebies from junior Colin Campbell (Miami, Fla./LaSalle) with 45 ticks remaining, and the Valiants were able to coast home with the win and remain in playoff contention.
Manhattanville shot 55.6 percent (15 for 27) in the second half to finish at 46.3 percent (25 for 54) for the night, and the home team was able to convert 12 King's turnovers into 21 points on the other end. King's shot 37.0 percent (20 for 54) for the evening.
The Valiants do not have it easy the rest of the way, however, as the squad still has to play Delaware Valley and Misericordia on the road next week. Manhattanville begins its playoff push on Tuesday in Doylestown, Pa., against the Aggies beginning at 8 p.m.