News Release

PURCHASE, N.Y. — Manhattanville sophomore John DiBetta (Valhalla, N.Y.) scored 17 points and hauled in six rebounds in the Valiants 69-63 victory over the College of Staten Island Dolphins.

Freshman Donte Chisolm (Mount Vernon, N.Y.) dished out seven assists to go with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor. Junior Mike Benziger (Sonoma, Calif.) tallied 10 points and snagged four rebounds.

Senior Mike Stewart (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the Dolphins with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Senior John Smith (Queens, N.Y.) scored 19 points with seven rebounds and senior Jason Coke (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tallied 10 points and four rebounds.

Both teams were within three points of each other for a majority of the first half. The Dolphins went on a 9-4 run to take a 30-25 lead with three minutes remaining in the interlude. The Valiants went on a 7-4 run thanks to three-pointers by Chisolm and DiBetta to trail 34-32 at halftime.

In the second half, Manhattanville got going offensively thanks to a dunk by junior Jerry Fiefie (Stamford, Conn.) with 10 minutes remaining to give the Valiants a five-point advantage.

CSI stormed back with two field goals by Smith and Stewart to cut the deficit back to one. However, Manhattanville went on a 12-3 run with three minutes remaining to take a 62-53 lead thanks to buckets by Benziger, DiBetta, freshman Rich Riss (Tarrytown, N.Y.) and sophomore Jovan Kandic (Serbia-Montenegro).

Benziger hit three free-throws and Chisolm added two in the final minute to help the Valiants improve to 3-1 at Kennedy Gym.

Both teams corralled 32 rebounds. However, a concerted defensive effort helped Manhattanville take the contest. In the first half, CSI shot 52 percent from the floor, but 33 percent in the second. The Valiants hit 39 percent of their three-point attempts, while the Dolphins struggled on 3-of-18 shooting.

With the win, Manhattanville improves to 6-5 overall, while the Dolphins drop to 7-2.

Manhattanville travels to New Paltz for a Saturday showdown starting at 4 p.m. The Valiants sport a 3-4 record on the road this season.