PURCHASE, N.Y. – Freshman Sean Smith (Yonkers, N.Y./Sacred Heart) was a perfect 10-for-10 from the field as Manhattanville College shot 51.9 percent as a team in knocking off first-place Wilkes University by a 73-63 score in MAC Freedom men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Kennedy Gymnasium.
 
Smith came up huge for Manhattanville (8-13, 2-8 MAC Freedom) in the win, hitting all 10 shots from the field and 2-of-3 free throws on the way to a season-high 24 points to go with 12 rebounds. Sophomore JoJo Cobbs (Elmsford, N.Y./Briarcliff) also led the Valiants down the stretch, scoring 14 of his 18 points in the second half as the Valiants picked up the win.
 
As they have in many games this season, the Valiants proved themselves to be a second-half team on Saturday, outscoring the Colonels 45-28 and connecting on 16-of-28 shots (57.1 percent) over the final 20 minutes.
 
Wilkes used a 12-2 run on both sides of halftime to take its largest lead of the night at 40-30 less than a minute into the second stanza, but Smith responded with a three to immediately cut the deficit down to seven. Manhattanville tied the game on two occasions following a Cobbs three with 15:32 left and then again after a layup from junior Mike Ryan (Bronx, N.Y./Arlington) with 9:39 on the clock.
 
The home team finally took back the lead thanks to a big three from senior Timmy Quinlan (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's Boys) made the score 59-58, and Manhattanville then took the lead for good after a layup from senior Dom Arena (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) put the Valiants up 61-60 with 5:14 remaining. That bucket started a game-ending 14-3 run for Manhattanville, as the Valiants held Wilkes to 1-of-9 shooting the rest of the way. Smith had six points and Cobbs added three free throws during the run.
 
The first half was defined by several runs, with two of them going the Colonels' way as the visitors took a 35-28 lead into the half. Manhattanville led for the first 5:30 before Wilkes used a 15-2 spurt to grab a 21-13 lead with 11:46 to go, but the Valiants came back with a very important 13-2 run of their own, spurred by five points from senior Brian Haggerty (Bayside, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) and a three from freshman Mike Granda (Monroe Township, N.J./St. Joseph), to take a 26-23 lead before Wilkes made its last first-half run.
 
Manhattanville excelled in all areas in the win. In addition to shooting well, the Valiants became only the third team to out-rebound Wilkes this season with a 35-31 advantage, leading to 40 points in the paint and 12 second-chance points. For the game, Manhattanville hit 28 of 54 shots from the field while limiting Wilkes to 43.9 percent (25 of 57) shooting from the field and just a 4-of-19 effort from beyond the arc.
 
The Valiants will return to action on Wednesday at Delaware Valley University beginning at 8 p.m.