CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The Manhattanville women's basketball team held a lead throughout most of the second half, but in final minutes of the contest had the lead taken away from them as the Valiants fell to the DeSales Bulldogs on Wednesday evening by the score of 64-60 at Billera Hall.

The Valiants outshot their opponent 39.7% to 35.0% as they were led by junior Jennifer McSharar (Garnerville, N.Y./North Rockland) and senior Courtney Turner (Staten Island, N.Y., Ralph McKee), both of whom finished the game with 18 points. Turner completed the double-double with a team-high 12 rebounds, while junior Taylor Wilson (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) was one board shy of a double-double as she finished the game with 13 points and nine boards. As a squad the Valiants also outrebounded their hosts by a 50-34 margin.

The game started out with DeSales jumping out to a 6-4 lead with 4:11 gone by in the opening period. The Valiants tied the game on a basket by Turner, and the game was tied seven more times in the first half until the visitors started to maintain a lead late in the frame.

Manhattanville continued to increase their lead on baskets by McSharar and senior guard Stephanie Vaiano (South Ozone Park, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy), with McSharar hiting the 'and-one' free throw to make it a five-point game with 11:55 left. DeSales continued to stay in the game, but after a jumper by Turner with 1:35 to go, the Valiants had their high-water mark of the period at 31-23.

Down the stretch of the half the Bulldogs went on a 7-0 run that was stopped by a jump shot by freshman Dominique Wilson (Coram, N.Y./Centereach) with four seconds to go as the Valiants took a 33-30 lead into the break.

At the conclusion of halftime DeSales hit a three-pointer out of the gate to tie the game but Manhattanville refused to relinquish the lead as Turner answered with a layup in the paint to put the Valiants back on top.

Manhattanville built their lead up again after a 13-4 run that was capped off by a jumper from senior forward Kelli Hyjek (Tolland, Conn./Tolland) to give the Valiants their largest lead of the game at nine points (48-39) with 9:37 to go. But the Bulldogs continued to stay close and pulled off a 7-0 run of their own to pull within two with 6:47 remaining. But T. Wilson put an end to their run with a clutch three-point basket to swing momentum back in favor of the Valiants.

With momentum back on their side, Manhattanville worked the lead back up to eight as Turner hit a pair of free throws with 3:10 to go. However, DeSales continued to pester the Valiants and answered with a 10-0 run to take their first lead of the second half at 60-58 with 46 seconds to go.

Turner again hit another key basket to tie the game at 60 with 26 seconds remaining. On the next possession, DeSales pulled up from just inside the left elbow and the Valiants were called for a questionable foul that led to the Bulldogs to go 2-for-2 at the charity stripe, earning them a 62-60 lead. The Valiants got one shot off that was gobbled up by DeSales, and the Bulldogs hit both foul shots after a quick Valiant foul with two seconds to go to pul out the 64-60 victory.

Manhattanville (6-11, 1-6 Freedom) will look to rebound after consecutive last minute losses this Saturday when they travel to St. Davids, Pa. to take on Eastern for the second time this season at 1:00 p.m. DeSales (10-8, 5-2 Freedom) will also head into the second half of conference play King's on Saturday afternoon in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.