Knights Fall Short in Heartbreaker to Valiants

By D.J. Bevivino

NEWBURGH – The Mount Saint Mary College Knights (5-13, 3-6 Skyline) fought valiantly but fell just short to the Manhattanville College Valiants (12-5, 6-3 Skyline) in a nail-biting 63-61 thriller at the Elaine & William Kaplan Recreation Center on Wednesday night.

In a game that featured 12 lead changes and six ties, it was the Valiants who found a way to make the final play count. With the score tied at 61 and just 0.6 seconds left on the clock, Manhattanville drained a bucket to secure the victory for the visitors.

“Hard fought game between two teams, it was wire to wire and down to the last play at the end,” said Head Coach Ryan Kadlubowski. “Unfortunately, they made more plays than us.”

Despite the heartbreaking loss, the Knights put forth a valiant effort on both ends of the court. Connor Cyran led the way with 15 points and 8 rebounds, while Ryan Graham chipped in 14 points and 6 rebounds. Jayden Figueroa and Brenden Graham also contributed valuable minutes off the bench, scoring 8 and 7 points respectively.

On the defensive end, the Knights held the Valiants to just 40.3% shooting from the field, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to overcome Manhattanville’s hot three-point shooting (7-for-17, 41.2%).

While the loss stings, the Knights can take solace in their competitive spirit and unwavering effort. As Coach Kadlubowski said, “We stuck to our game plan defensively which allowed us to stay in the game when we struggled to find offense for a few stretches of the game.”