SALEM, Mass. – Sophomore Taylor Wilson (Pearl River, N.Y.) was outstanding off the bench, scoring a career-high 24 points to lead the Manhattanville women's basketball team to its first nationally ranked victory since 1982, a 66-62 victory over #18/23 Bowdoin University in the opening round of the Salem State Tournament on Friday evening at Twohig Gymnasium.
"Bowdoin is a fundamentally sound team that challenged us throughout the game," said head coach Lauren Thomer. "From the opening tip, we stuck to our game plan and executed.
"We played good defense all game and it showed as we fought in our full court press."
The Valiants came back from an eight-point deficit with 4:02 remaining in the contest to surprise the Polar Bears and tied at 62 with 36 seconds to go, freshman Beranda Felder (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored the game-winning basket on a lay-up. Both teams battled and tied the game a combined 13 times, but for Felder her sixth point of the night was the most important.
"Beranda came up huge for us tonight," said Thomer. "For a freshman to score the game-winner and make key free throws shows what kind of player she will be for us."
In the last few seconds of the game, Felder picked off Amy Hackett and was fouled, however she did not complete the front end of a one-and-one but the rebound caromed out of bounds off Bowdoin to keep the possession, and Wilson iced the contest with a pair of free throws as Valiants walked-away with the four-point edge.
Both teams traded baskets to start the contest with neither team taking a hold of the game until four minutes remained in the half. Manhattanville went on a 4-0 run with baskets from Wilson and senior Simona Gordon (Cambridge, Mass.) to take a 27-23 lead with 3:37 remaining. After a three-pointer by Hackett made it a one-point deficit, the Valiants responded as Wilson connected on a long-distance shot. The Valiants went into the locker room with a three-point lead (32-29) after a pair of free throws by junior Courtney Turner (Staten Island, N.Y.) gave the visiting team the advantage.
Wilson finished the half with 15 of her 24 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, 2-of-3 from the outside and a perfect 3-of-3 from the line. The Valiants as a team shot 52 percent from the field and made three shots from three-point land.
"Taylor hit big shots from around the court all night," said Thomer. "Whether it was a three-pointer or free throws she was on her game and it showed in the end."
Manhattanville kept the contest close once again in the second half, until the Polar Bears went on an 8-0 run with 5:49 remaining on a pair of three-pointers by Hackett and Alexa Berry. The Valiant defense pressured Bowdoin and found opportunities late in the contest as the team completed a five-point possession to cut the deficit to three. Gordon scored on a jumper with 3:33 remaining and was fouled; she missed the three-point completion, but Turner grabbed the offensive board before kicking it back out to Gordon to nail a three-point basket. Kaitlin Donahoe made the back end of a pair of free throws with 3:10 remaining, but Felder made both of her shots from the line with 2:29 remaining to erase the four-point lead. A bad pass by Donahoe and a steal by Gordon allowed a jumper by Felder to tie the contest at 60 with 2:17 left, setting the stage for the Valiant victory.
Bowdoin missed their final three field goal of the night and allowed Manhattanville to capitalize on a 15-3 run to end the contest. The Valiants forced 16 turnovers by Bowdoin, including nine in the second half aiding them in the win. The team finished the contest shooting 49 percent from the field and made six three-point field goals. Both teams were helped with 16 points from the charity stripe, but poor shooting from Bowdoin in field goal range led to their demise.
Manhattanville (1-1, 0-0 Freedom) will take on host Salem State in the tournament championship game tomorrow at 4 p.m. Bowdoin (0-1, 0-0 NESCAC) will take on Lesley in the consolation game at 2 p.m.