KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Nov. 29, 2022) – The USMMA women's basketball team fell short for the first time this year with a 68-59 defeat at the hands of visiting Manhattanville College on Tuesday night at the Liebertz Gymnasium. USMMA dropped to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play while the Valiants improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in Skyline action.
 
Game Links

• Box Score 

USMMA could not find their footing against a hungry Manhattanville squad who made it a point to take key players out of the game. Senior Lauren Hunter (Tinley Park, Ill.) and senior Madison Demos (Downers Grove, Ill.) were held to a combined 15 points, as the Mariners scratched but could not take down the Valiants.
 
Sophomore Grace Jackson's (Parma, Idaho) team-high 17 points kept Merchant Marine within arm's length, but 13 of Jackson 17 points came in the first half. USMMA is at its best when they have a Batman and Robin style attack, but the Mariners' offensive unit was held at bay tonight.
 
Sloppy turnovers and fouls by Manhattanville kept the Mariners in the game and only down by one at the break. Leading 31-30 to start the third quarter, the Valiants came out with a lightning bolt.
 
Two consecutive threes in the opening minute by Valiants' leading scorer Jamison Agostino gave Manhattanville breathing room they would not relinquish. A 7-for-16 mark from downtown for the Valiants, orchestrated by Agostino and Angela Downey, separated Manhattanville from the Mariners. Downey sunk four triples off the bench in route to the road victory.
 
USMMA had their chance to climb back into the game thanks to an 11-for-24 night at the charity stripe by the Valiants, but the Skyline Conference's first-ranked offense put forth a full 40-minute effort against the Mariners. A loss like this is one Merchant Marine will certainly learn and grow from down the road this season and beyond.
 
Head coach Matt Dempsey will look to get his team back in the win column on Saturday, Dec. 3 when his Mariners host the Mount Saint Vincent Dolphins in a Skyline Conference semifinals rematch from last season. Merchant Marine grinded out a 62-54 victory back in that Feb. 24 contest and will seek to repeat that performance beginning at 12-noon four days from now. Live stats and a live video feed of the game will be available with links on the USMMA Women's Basketball Schedule Page.
 
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