Riverdale, N.Y. - Manhattan sophomore Devon Austin buried a short jumper with 1.2 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Jaspers a 79-77 upset win over preseason CAA favorite Hofstra in overtime this afternoon at Draddy Gym. With the win, Manhattan improves to 2-1 on the season while posting a win over the Pride for the fourth straight game and nine of the last 10 meetings between the two local rivals.
With the Jaspers trailing by one following two Loren Stokes free throws with 1:03 remaining, Austin put Manhattan ahead with a tip-in layup with 43 ticks left in the game. Stokes then drew another two-shot foul for the Pride, but missed the first before making the second to pull Hofstra even at 77-77 with just over 35 seconds remaining, setting up Austin's last second heroics, as he converted on a broken play to send the crowd of almost 2,000 home happy.
Hofstra, the third ranked team in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll, held the lead for the first 15 minutes of the game, leading by as many as six, 21-15, before the Jaspers used a 13-6 run, capped by an Austin three-pointer, to take a one point lead, 28-27, with 4:36 left before halftime. The Pride would push the lead back to five, 35-30, with two minutes left before the break, but Manhattan would end the half with a 5-0 run, including a Christian Jackson layup with 29 seconds remaining to knot the score at 35-35 and send the team's into the locker rooms deadlocked.
Both team shot well in the first half, as the Jaspers converted 60% (15-25) of their shots, while Hofstra connected on 52.4% (11-21) from the field.
After Stokes converted a layup to open the second stanza to give the Pride brief lead, Manhattan would take the lead on its next possession on a three-pointer from Jackson, ad the Jaspers would maintain the lead, leading by as many as five, until a trifecta from Hofstra's Antoine Agudio gave the Pride a 59-57 lead with 5:20 left in regulation. Five lead changes and two ties later, an Arturo Dubois lay-in with 1:30 on the clock gave Manhattan a two point, 65-63 lead. Leading by three, 67-64, following two Dubois free throws, Stokes would not let the Pride go quietly, burying a three pointer to knot the score at 67 with 48 ticks left. Both teams went one-of-two from the line over the final minute to send the game into overtime.
Dubois paced four Jaspers in double-figures with a team-high 23 points, while Austin chipped in with 19 points. Guy Ngarndi (16 points, team-high eight rebounds) and Jackson (11 points, game-high five assists) also reach double-figures for Manhattan, which shot 56.9% (29-51) from the field.
Stokes led all scorers with a game-high 28 points to lead Hofstra, while Agudio added 22 points, and Mike Davis-Sabb chipped in with a game-high 11 rebounds. The Pride committed 27 turnovers, and missed 16 of their 45 free throws.
Manhattan will look to extend its winning streak to three on Wednesday, November 22, hosting Princeton University at Draddy Gym with the game-time slated for 7:00 p.m.
