Riverdale, N.Y. (November 24, 2007)- Manhattan seemed to carry an Eastern Michigan hangover into the first half of its game vs. St. Francis-N.Y. College, shooting 29.4% from the field over the first 20 minutes, but the Jaspers found their shooting stroke in the second half, producing a 77-69 win tonight at Draddy Gym.
When asked about the win, head coach Barry Rohrssen commented, “It was good to see that it was a team effort. We had multiple players who stepped in and stepped up.”
Devon Austin was a one-man show in the early going, going on a personal 7-0 run to give the Jaspers the early lead. At that point, the Jaspers' shooting touch went cold, while the Terriers heated up, compiling a 22-5 run to open up a 10 points lead, 22-12, with 11:33 left to play in the opening stanza. Manhattan responded with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to three, but St. Francis was able to build the lead back to double digits, leading by 10, 33-23, with 4:02 left before the break. Manhattan followed with a spurt of its own, closing out the half with a 9-2 run to go into the locker room trailing by just three, 35-32, despite allowing the Terriers to shoot 53.6% from the floor over the first 20 minutes.
With St. Francis still holding an eight point lead, 54-46, with 12:52 left in the game, the Jasper defense put the clamps on the aggressive Terrier offense, putting together a 31-13 run, allowing the Terriers just two made field goals over the next 12:50, and holding St. Francis to 2-17 shooting while forcing eight turnovers to complete the comeback and seal the victory.
Devon Austin recorded a double-double with game-highs of 20 points and 11 rebounds. Freshman Andrew Gabriel chipped in with six points and eight rebounds.
Marcus Williams paced St. Francis with 18 points.
Manhattan returns to action on Wednesday, November 28, hosting Fordham University at Draddy Gym in the annual Battle of the Bronx game. The game is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. The game marks the 100th meeting between the two stories New York City programs.
