New Rochelle, N.Y. (January 12, 2007)- Arturo Dubois poured in a career-high 31 points as Manhattan won its fourth straight game, downing Iona, 73-63, tonight at the Hynes Athletic Center on the Gaels' campus. The win ups the Jaspers' record to 7-8, 4-1 in MAAC play, while Iona falls to 0-15, 0-5 in MAAC play.
After dropping seven straight contests to Iona in New Rochelle, Manhattan has defeated the Gaels each of the last two meetings and three straight overall in the hotly contested local and MAAC rivalry.
The Jaspers scored the first seven points of the game, and 16 of the first 21, to take an 11 point lead, 16-5, with 12:55 remaining in the opening stanza. Manhattan's lead would swell to as many as 13 points, 28-15, 8:36 before the break, before Iona would use a 10-0 run to pull within three, 28-25, with 5:41 left before half time. Two Dubois layups would sandwich a Devon Austin dunk in transition as the Jaspers scored the game's next six points to push the lead back to nine, 34-25, with 4:13 remaining in the first half. The Gales would get no closer than seven the rest of the half, and Manhattan would score the final four points of the half to take an 11 point, 40-29, lead into the locker room.
Dubois tallied 17 first half points and Austin added 12 as the Jaspers shot 56.3% (18-32) from the field in the first 20 minutes of play.
Manhattan still held an 11 point lead, 51-40, with 13:20 left in the game following a Dubois layup, before Iona used a quick 8-0 spurt over the next 2:16 to pull within three, 51-48, with 11:04 to play. The Jaspers would gradually build the lead back to six, 57-51, with 8:39 to play before another 8-0 Gael burst, this time putting Iona ahead for the first time all night, as two Justin Marshall free throws gave the Gaels a 59-57 lead with 5:34 to play. At that point, Dubois, who has been sitting on the bench the last three minutes after picking up his fourth foul, re-entered the game and scored nine of the next 11 points, capped by his first collegiate three-pointer, a buzzer beating bank shot from the right wing, to give Manhattan back the lead and give the Jaspers a 66-61 lead with 1:52 to play. Good defense and free throw shooting the rest of the way for Manhattan would provide the final margin.
Dubois added a game-high eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals to his 14-18 shooting night, while Austin finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Antoine Pearson recorded nine points, four rebounds, two assists, and zero turnovers in 39 minutes at the point guard position, and Brandon Adams chipped in with five points, three rebounds, one assist, and one block off the bench.
Anthony Bruin and Milan Devon Clarke each scored 18 points to pace four Gaels in double-figures, as Bruin, Clarke, Milan Prodanovic (10 first half points, 11 total), and Justin Marshall (11 points) would combine for 59 of Iona's 63 points.
The Jaspers held a 40-30 advantage in rebounding.
Manhattan returns to action on Monday, January 15, traveling to Jersey City, N.J. to take on Saint Peter's in a MAAC game slated to begin at 2:00 p.m.
