The two-time defending MAAC Champion Manhattan Jaspers survived a late Quinnipiac comeback to earn it’s first program win at the TD Bank Sports Center, spoiling the Senior Night celebration for James Ford Jr., Giovanni McLean and Will Simonton.
Up 31-23 at halftime, the Jaspers spent the first five minutes of the second half increasing their lead up to 13 points with just over 15 minutes left to play. The Bobcats ultimately climbed back to within one point, 57-56 with 1:08 remaining in regulation.
Two free throws by Rich Williams put the Jaspers back up three with 18 seconds on the clock. Moving up the court, Quinnipiac sophomore forward Chaise Daniels was unable to handle a quick pass from McLean, which resulted in a turnover and Manhattan’s RaShawn Stores sealing the 63-59 win with four made free throws.
“It’s hard to diagram something against them. We stayed with the same basic offense throughout the second half,” Quinnipiac head coach Tom Moore said. “I trusted the five guys on the court at that time. It just didn’t turn out right for us.
Despite coming up short in their comeback attempt and with all the team’s recent struggles in the second halves of games, McLean continues to have confidence in the team as the MAAC Tournament draws closer.
“We’re always in these games,” McLean said. “We just need to pay attention to details throughout the game. Everybody has to keep their heads up because we’ve still got a goal at hand, a task to complete.”
Initially, Quinnipiac scored the opening basket of the game, but Manhattan grabbed the momentum and kept it for the entire first half.
The Bobcats biggest downfall of the afternoon was not being able to contain the Jasper’s biggest scoring threat, Shane Richards who finished with 21 points.
“In the first half, it was more transition stuff,” Moore said. “I thought we were getting lost chasing the ball and trying to find him. They did a great job getting to him early.”
Williams added 14 points and five rebounds while Stores put up nine for the Jaspers.
As for Quinnipiac, McLean and Daniels led the way scoring 15 points apiece. Junior Daniel Harris added eight, but he was held scoreless in the game’s final twenty minutes.
Quinnipiac continued to dominate the glass, outrebounding Manhattan 34-26. However, despite having a low number of players, the team’s quickness on the court led to more issues for the Bobcats.
“The bench for Manhattan was shortened, but they still played well together. Causing eleven steals and forcing 17 turnovers out of us is what they do best,” Moore said. “They’re a terrific defensive team, posing the most unique challenge to your offense than any other team in the league.”
Manhattan surges forward with the win to 12-14 overall (9-8 MAAC) while Quinnipiac falls to 9-18 on the season (6-12 MAAC).
After finishing its final home game, Quinnipiac will wrap up the regular season with two road games on Friday at Marist and Sunday against Siena.
Moore knows his team has a lot of work ahead of them. While understanding the challenges of facing Marist once again, he’s also looking forward to the experiences his players will get playing at the Times Union Center, the 2016 MAAC tournament host site.
“I think the trip up to Siena on Sunday even though we’re going to be playing a terrific team, I think it will be very good for this group,” Moore said. “Going up to Albany and seeing the Times Union Center four days before the start of the tournament will be a good experience because we have nine guys who have never been a part of this, guys who don’t understand this.”
