PURCHASE, N.Y. – When you score 30 points five games into the basketball season and it doesn't represent your season-high point total, you know you're having a special year.

Photo courtesy of Manhattanville College Sports Information

Such was the case for Eastern Connecticut State University senior guard Brian Salzillo (North Haven), who netted 30 points on the way to Most Valuable Player honors as the Warriors took home the 2013 AJ Buchanan Classic championship with a 78-63 victory over Manhattanville College men's basketball team Saturday afternoon at Kennedy Gymnasium.
 
One of the nation's top three-point field goal shooters, Salzillo averaged 23.5 points in two games – including his weekend-high 30 in the championship game – as Eastern (4-1) defeated the host institution to claim a title for the second straight time. Last March, the third-seeded Warriors knocked off top-seeded Westfield State University to annex their first ECAC New England Division III Tournament.

Salzillo's first 30-point game this year was a 31-point effort in a season-opening  90-79 win over Worcester State University a week ago Friday at Geissler Gym.

At left: Tourney MVP Brian Salzillo (far left) and all-tournament pick Mike Garrow. (Photos courtesy of Manhattanville Sports Information).

Salzillo was joined on the all-tournament team for the second time in two tournaments this year by senior guard Mike Garrow (Terryville), who averaged 17.5 points and 12.0 rebounds in two contests, including an 18-point, 15-rebound effort on Saturday against Manhattanville (2-3).

The game started out very evenly with four lead changes in the first 10 minutes. Manhattanville built  a seven-point lead on a steal and fast-break layup,  but Eastern followed with a 10-2 run that gave the Warriors back the lead at 18-17 with 9:44 remaining in the first half. The Valiants tied the game twice but couldn't get over the hump for the remainder of the half, although a runner at the buzzer put the home team down just five at 39-34 at the half.
 
The second half was filled with missed opportunities for Manhattanville, as again the Valiants got within striking range on numerous occasions but could not the big bucket or big stop when needed. Although Eastern  never trailed after the break, the Valiants got the deficit down to a single possession three times, the last coming after a fast-break layup by made the score 57-54 with 8:33 remaining. 
 
Eastern followed that with a 9-2 run, however, to get the lead back into double figures with four minutes to go. The final margin of victory ended up being the largest lead of the night for either team.

Salzillo shot 7-of-13 from beyond the arc – equalling his personal game-high in that department – while Garrow went a perfect 10-for-10 from the foul line to improve his season percenage to 86.7 (26-for-30). Salzillo is averaging 6.2 three-pointers per game in five games and has converted 52.5 percent of his tries (31-for-59).
 
Manhattanville was represented on the all-tournament team by senior forward Jack Bramswig, who also averaged a double-double with 18.5 points and 11.5 rebounds for the weekend, and sophomore Anthony Maestre, who had 29 points and a team-best ten assists in two games. Khalid Yousef of Medgar Evers College and Jared Prince of Catholic University also earned spots on the all-tournament team.
 
Against Eastern, Bramswig had his third double-double of the young season with 12 points and ten rebounds, while Maestre led the Valiants with 16 points to go with six rebounds and four assists.

As a team, Eastern shot very well for the weekend, and finished Saturday at 44.6 percent  from the field and an impressive 20 for 24 (83.3 percent) from the line. Manhattanville finished shooting 36.7 percent (22 for 60) from the field on the day.
 
Eastern visits  Connecticut College Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in a non-conference game.

Manhattanville College Sports Information contributed to this game account.