PURCHASE, N.Y. – Senior Courtney Turner (Staten Island, N.Y./Ralph McKee) became the 11th player in program history to reach 1,000 points early in the second half, but it was junior Taylor Wilson (Pearl River, N.Y./Pearl River) who made three key plays down the stretch to send Turner and the rest of the Valiant senior class off with a victory as Manhattanville came back to defeat Misericordia, 66-63, in a Freedom Conference women's basketball matchup on Senior Day at Kennedy Gymnasium.
Wilson led all scorers with 19 points in the win, while Turner added 15 points to go with seven rebounds, four assists and two steals on her historic day. Fellow seniors Kelli Hyjek (Tolland, Conn./Tolland) and Stephanie Vaiano (South Ozone Park, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) also chipped in in their final collegiate games, as Hyjek had eight points and a game-high eight rebounds while Vaiano had sixes across the board in points, rebounds and assists.
Hannah Seely was the high woman for Misericordia on the day, connecting on 7-of-8 shots on the way to 17 points to go with six rebounds and four steals. Christine Marks added 15 points and six rebounds and Kayla Sileo chipped in 11 points as well for the visitors.
Manhattanville shot the ball very well on the game, hitting at a 50.0 percent clip (25 for 50) for the game and 60.0 percent (12 for 20) in the decisive second half. Misericordia, meanwhile, shot just 34.3 percent (23 for 67) and made two fewer field goals despite taking 17 more attempts, thanks in large part to a 3-for-17 showing from behind the arc.
The second half was a rollercoaster ride for both teams, as the squads exchanged blows all the way to the final buzzer. A jumper by Wilson knotted the score at 29-all early on, and the score remained within one possession until the Valiants used a 7-0 run, capped by a fast-break layup by freshman KellyAnn Sullivan (Amity Harbor, N.Y./Copiague), to take a 41-35 lead with 12:35 left.
But then it was Misericordia's turn to counterpunch, using a 13-2 run of their own to take back the lead at 48-43 with 8:07 on the clock. Sileo had seven points by herself during the stretch, which gave the Cougars their biggest lead of the half. Freshman Alyson Caiazzo (Brooklyn, N.Y/St. Saviour) and Marks traded baskets to keep the lead at five for the visitors, but key buckets from Hyjek and sophomore Beranda Felder (Brooklyn, N.Y./Midwood) made it a one-point game (50-49) with exactly six minutes left.
The Cougars clung desperately to their lead for the next five minutes, and looked good up by four points with 52 seconds left after a Seely layup made it 62-58 in favor of the visitors. But two big free throws by Vaiano made it a one-possession game, and Turner then hit a tough running jumper at the top of the key to even the score for the ninth time at 62-all with 35 ticks left.
MU's Lauren Smicherko was fouled on a third-chance opportunity at the other end, but only made one of two freebies to give the Valiants a chance with the shot clock turned off. After a timeout, Wilson got the ball on the near wing and slashed to the hoop before putting up a righty runner that bounced off the side rim and through for the go-ahead basket with seven seconds left.
Misericordia still had a chance for a final shot, but Tyann McDaniel had the ball swiped by Wilson in the backcourt with three seconds left, and the junior guard sunk the two game-clinching free throws to send the Valiants off with a victory.
Manhattanville concludes the 2011-12 campaign with a 9-15 (4-10 Freedom) record. Misericordia (15-10, 10-4 Freedom) will host DeSales in the Freedom Conference Championship semifinals on Wednesday night.