PURCHASE, N.Y. – Manhattanville College hit a pair of three-point shots late in the second half to lift the Valiants past the Wilkes University men's basketball team 61-58 in Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom play on Saturday afternoon.

The Colonels fell to 1-1 in MAC Freedom play and 7-6 overall.

The game remained scoreless through the first two and a half minutes before Manhattanville converted two layups to take a 4-0 lead with 16:46 on the clock. Wilkes then went on an 8-0 run with three-pointers from both Marcus Robinson (Swedesboro, N.J./Kingsway Regional) and Connor Evans (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) to take an 8-4 lead with 14:44 until halftime. Neither team was able to maintain a sustained run for the rest of the half with the Colonels taking a 28-27 lead into the break.

Wilkes started the second half on a 9-4 run to take a six point lead at 37-31 with 17:39 left after a Mark Mullins (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley) layup, but the Colonels were unable to push their lead any further. Over the final ten-plus minutes, there were 11 ties or lead changes as each team battled to break through. Both defenses were up to the challenge as the largest lead in that span was a mere three points.

Wilkes held a 56-54 lead with 3:51 left in the game following a pair of made free throws from Robinson, but after each team missed a three-pointer Chris Ayson hit a three to put Manhattanville on top 57-56 with 1:45 remaining. Robinson was fouled on possession later and converted both ends to give the Colonels a 58-57 lead with 1:08 on the clock. On the Valiants next possession, Wilkes held Manhattanville for 28 seconds, but with two seconds left on the shot clock Jojo Cobbs put up a contested three in the left corner that ultimately proved to be the game winner, making the score 60-58 with 41 seconds in the game. The Valiants converted a free throw in the final 30 seconds to make it a three point game, but the Colonels missed two potential game-tying three-pointers in the final 21 seconds.

Evans led Wilkes in the game, recording 16 points with three rebounds. Robinson added 14 points and four rebounds, while Zach Brunner (Mechanicsburg, PA/Mechanicsburg) contributed eight points and ten rebounds.

Alex Tuci led Manhattanville with a game-high 17 points to go with seven rebounds and three assists. Dwayne Frazier chipped in nine points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Valiants.

The Colonels return to action on Wednesday when they host Delaware Valley University in the first meeting between the two schools since last year's MAC Freedom Championship game, with tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m.