PURCHASE, N.Y. – John DiBetta connected on a jumper with 17 seconds left to lead Manhattanville College to a 55-53 win over Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday in a Skyline Conference men’s basketball game at Kennedy Gym.

Tied at 53-53, DiBetta took a pass on the left wing, dribbled twice and drained a jumper to give Manhattanville (13-10, 7-6 Skyline) the lead.  Stevens (11-11, 7-5 Skyline) had an opportunity to win on its final possession, but a 3-point attempt by freshman guard Waleed Farid (Woodside, N.Y./Stuyvesant) didn’t connect.

DiBetta had given the Valiants a 53-48 lead following two free throws with 1:39 remaining.  The Ducks cut the lead to two points on a 3-pointer by junior guard Jimmy Dominkewicz (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) with 1:27 left.  Junior guard Isaac Moore (Phoenix, Ariz./Moon Valley) had a steal and a layup to tie the game at 53-53 with 1:07 to play.

In a game that was a defensive struggle for much of the first half, Stevens emerged with a 21-20 halftime lead.  The Ducks opened the second half with an 11-3 run in the first six minutes.  Sophomore forward Tim Williams (Selden, N.Y./Newfield), who scored a team-leading 13 points off the bench, had four points during the opening run.  His basket with 14:42 left gave Stevens its largest lead, 32-23.

Manhattanville countered with a 9-0 run over the next four minutes to tie the game at 32-32.  DiBetta, who led all scorers with 20 points, tied the game at 32-32 on a jumper with 10:39 remaining.  The game was tied on four occasions with three lead changes in the final ten minutes as neither team was able to open up more than a five-point advantage.

Both teams had two players finish in double figures.  For Manhattanville, freshman guard Donte Chisholm had 16 points, joining DiBetta.  Moore, who finished with 12, joined Williams in double figures.

Stevens returns to action on Monday, February 14, when it travels to New York City for an 8 p.m. Skyline Conference game against Yeshiva.