PURCHASE, N.Y. – Senior Jack Bramswig (Pleasantville, N.Y./Pleasantville) had the game's only double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds as the Manhattanville men's basketball team closed out 2013 with an 84-80 victory over Wells in non-conference action on Friday afternoon at Kennedy Gymnasium.

The Valiants were carried by their five starters in the victory, as the first five accounted for 74 of the team's 84 points. Bramswig led the way with a season-high-matching 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting and a 6-of-7 effort from the free-throw line, and had a typical Bramswig game with 10 rebounds, a few big dunks and three emphatic blocks.

Sophomore Anthony Maestre (Bronx, N.Y./Mount St. Michael Academy) had 18 points and a game-high five assists while senior Colin Campbell (Miami, Fla./LaSalle) chipped in 13 points and three assists in the backcourt. Sophomore Juan Camacho (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/New Horizons) also had a good game in the frontcourt with 15 points, and junior Connor Quigley (Pelham, N.Y./Pelham Memorial) also added six points, four assists and three rebounds off the bench.

J.J. Walton paced the Express with 16 points, followed by Randy McCormick with 14 off the bench and Al Paul with 12 of his own before fouling out late in the contest.

Manhattanville ended the first semester with a good shooting day, as the Valiants connected at a 52.0 percent (26 for 50) clip on the afternoon, including an excellent 15 of 24 (62.5 percent) in the second half. Wells was not much worse from the field, hitting 32 of 62 shots (51.6 percent), but the Valiants got to the free-throw line 18 more times and made 23 more (24 for 34) to secure the win.

The Valiants started off very well, scoring the first seven points of the game over the first two minutes. Wells battled back to even the score at 21 on a layup by Walton with 7:50 remaining in the half, and the teams remained within one possession of one another for the remainder of the frame. Shakeel Simmons tied the contest for the fifth time on a layup with 12 seconds to go, as the teams went into intermission knotted up at 36.

The home team again came out of the locker room strong to begin the second half, using a 13-5 run to open up a 49-41 lead with 16:02 left. Maestre had seven points and Bramswig had five during the run, which gave the Valiants a lead they would not lose. The Express made a run to get back within two at 61-59 on a three-pointer by Ryan Hood, forcing a Valiant timeout in the process.

The Valiant lead was still only four (67-63) with 3:52 remaining before Manhattanville went on a brief 9-2 run that finally gave them enough breathing room at 76-65 with 66 seconds left. The home team then hit six free throws down the stretch to maintain the margin and pick up the win.

Manhattanville will take the next three weeks to rest up in preparation for the arduous second semester schedule, which features three non-conference contests before 12 straight Freedom Conference matchups to end the year. The Valiants return to the court on January 4, 2014 at Trinity (Conn.) at 2 p.m.