Purchase, NY - Entering the Skyline Conference Tournament as the sixth seed, the University of Mount Saint Vincent's women's basketball team headed to Manhattanville Tuesday evening to take on the number three Valiants. After dropping both regular season games to Manhattanville, UMSV was victorious when it mattered most. With a 47-41 win over the Valiants, the Dolphins advance to the semifinals. 

A slow start for the Dolphins left them trailing 11-7 after the first quarter. However, the graduate student duo of Erin Smith and Kayla Hanley carried the Dolphins with a 7-0 run to start the second. UMSV would go on to outscore the Valiants 16-11, giving them a 23-22 lead at halftime. The Dolphins had another low-scoring quarter in the third, allowing Manhattanville to lead by two points going into the final ten minutes of action. 

The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth battle that the Dolphins refused to lose. It was freshman Grace Kennedy's three-point play that put the Dolphins back on top at 37-36 with five minutes remaining. The Valiants were able to convert on the next possession, however it would be the last lead the home team would see as junior captain JaKaia Lotz would then knock down a pair of free throws. Manhattanville then attempted to convert on offense, but was stopped as Hanley took a charge. With the Valiants now in the bonus, Coach Maria Nardulli called a timeout to advance the ball. Forced to foul, the Valiants sent Smith, Kennedy, and Hanley to the line. The Dolphins shot perfectly from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter to secure the win. 

Smith once again led the Dolphins in scoring with 15 points. Hanley finished with 9 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals, while Kennedy had 8 rebounds, 7 points, and two steals. Lotz grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, along with 4 points and 4 steals. 

Looking to defend their title, the Dolphins will play #2 Mount Saint Mary, just as they did in the semifinals last season. UMSV will head to Newburgh on Thursday, February 27 and tip off at 7 PM.