Justin Morris hit a three-pointer 26 seconds into the game and the Valiants took off from there, opening up a first half lead as big as 16 points and leading by 23 late in the second. The Blue Knights trimmed the lead down as small as seven in the second but was never able to get any closer.
“Tonight we did a good job defensively and forced a lot of turnovers,” Head Coach Pat Scanlon said. “And on offense we did a good job attacking their zone and getting some good looks.”
Senior guard John DiBetta made the most of his 10 looks at the basket, knocking down eight shots and finishing with a team-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds, six assists and four steals. Brian Fink was the only other Manhattanville player in double-figures, knocking down three three-pointers to finish with 16 points in 24 minutes. The Valiants forced 19 turnovers and had six players score at least eight points.
Mike Hoyt, a First Team All-Conference selection a year ago who Scanlon called a “great player,” put on a tremendous show to even keep the game close. The senior scored 34 of Mount Saint Mary’s first 58 points on 12-of-18 shooting and 5-of-6 from three-point range. Hoyt scored the first seven for the Blue Knights and scored 16 of his team’s first 21 points over the first 15:31 of the game. In fact, until a Jason Cardez three-pointer with 2:10 to go in the first, only Hoyt and Matt Peters had scored for the visitors.
Donte Chisolm was one of three Valiant starters to score nine points, adding a season-high 12 assists with six rebounds and four steals. The junior’s guards 12 assists were made more impressive by his total of only two turnovers. Cody Moffett and Morris also scored nine, with Moffett chipping in a team-high nine rebounds and Morris adding two steals in only 12 minutes. Off the bench, Joe Cooke scored eight points for the Valiants and Eduardo Huezo added six.
The Valiants shot 54.5% in the second half and made 13-of-33 three-pointers against a sagging Mount Saint Mary zone. Manhattanville out-rebounded the Blue Knights 44-36 and had 24 assists against only 13 turnovers. Cardez was the only other Mount Saint Mary (2-5, 0-2 Skyline) player in double-figures with 13 as the Blue Knights shot just 37.7% from the floor.
Winners of seven straight, the Valiants (7-1, 3-0 Skyline) have 13 days off before heading to Las Vegas for the Adidas Desert Shootout December 19-20. Manhattanville will meet Clarke in the opening round before taking on either Scranton or Denison on day two.
Mount Saint Mary vs Manhattanville 12-6-06 7:00 p.m. at Purchase, N.Y. (Kennedy Gym) At Purchase, N.Y. (Kennedy Gym) MANHATTANVILLE 86, MOUNT SAINT MARY 67 MOUNT SAINT MARY (2-5, 0-2 Skyline) Mike Hoyt 12-18 5-6 34; Jason Cardez 4-11 3-3 13; Matt Peters 3-9 2-5 9; Troy Johnson 2-3 1-2 5; David Lonnay 1-9 0-0 3; Chris Harrison 1-5 0-0 2; Joe Hoyt 0-4 1-2 1; Trevor Wiggins 0-1 0-0 0; Kieran Begley 0-1 0-0 0; Rich McWalters 0-0 0-0 0; Matt Cutney 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-61 12-18 67. MANHATTANVILLE (7-1, 3-0 Skyline) John DiBetta 8-10 2-2 19; Brian Fink 6-12 1-1 16; Donte Chisolm 3-13 1-2 9; Justin Morris 3-5 2-2 9; Cody Moffett 3-6 1-4 9; Joe Cooke 3-9 0-0 8; Eduardo Huezo 3-4 0-0 6; DeVon Barnett 1-3 0-0 3; Brendan Flynn 1-5 0-0 3; Ben Shapiro 1-1 0-0 2; Jovan Kandic 0-0 2-2 2; Angelo Laroche 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 32-69 9-13 86. Mount Saint Mary.............. 29 38 - 67 Manhattanville................ 38 48 - 86 3-point goals-Mount Saint Mary 9-27 (Mike Hoyt 5-6; Jason Cardez 2-5; Matt Peters 1-5; David Lonnay 1-7; Kieran Begley 0-1; Joe Hoyt 0-3), Manhattanville 13-33 (Brian Fink 3-7; Joe Cooke 2-6; Cody Moffett 2-4; Donte Chisolm 2-6; Justin Morris 1-2; Brendan Flynn 1-4; John DiBetta 1-1; DeVon Barnett 1-2; Angelo Laroche 0-1). Fouled out--Mount Saint Mary-None, Manhattanville-None. Rebounds-Mount Saint Mary 36 (Chris Harrison 6), Manhattanville 44 (Cody Moffett 9). Assists-Mount Saint Mary 13 (Joe Hoyt 3), Manhattanville 24 (Donte Chisolm 12). Total fouls-Mount Saint Mary 14, Manhattanville 18. A-275