Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. ? Junior point guard Antoine Pearson buried a midrange jumper as time expired lifting Manhattan (10-8, 4-4 MAAC) to a 62-60 victory over Saint Peter's (5-13, 2-6 MAAC) this afternoon in Riverdale. Pearson led the Jaspers with 17 points and corralled six rebounds. The game winning bucket resembled Pearson's buzzer beating 3-pointer last season giving Manhattan a 65-62 victory over Saint Peter's on Dec. 7, 2007 at Draddy Gymnasium.
Peacocks' guard Brandon Hall tied the game for the 11 time with 44 seconds on the clock with a layup locking the contest at 60-60. Saint Peter's stopped the Jaspers on the ensuing possession, but a Peacocks turnover put the ball in Pearson's hands with five seconds remaining. The Bronx native raced the ball up court and knocked down a pull up jump shot to send Manhattan off with the thrilling victory.
The contest featured 13 lead changes with neither team leading by more than four points in the second half. Manhattan took a 48-45 advantage at the 10:48 mark on a Pearson 3-pointer, and the Jaspers did not trail the rest of the contest. He was 5-for-7 from the field, 2-for-3 from 3-point territory and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.
Darryl Crawford was a spark off the bench, contributing 16 points. He converted 7-of-8 free-throw opportunities. Senior teammate Devon Austin was the third Jasper in double-figures with 12 points. He led the squad on the glass collecting seven boards.
Manhattan forced the Peacocks into 14 turnovers and turned them into 12 points, including the game winner. The Jaspers shot 73.9% (17-23) from the line, a drastic improvement from Friday when the team converted just 44.8% (13-29) of its attempts against Loyola.
Saint Peter's was led by sophomore guard Nick Leon who contributed a game-high 21 points on 7-for-15 shooting. Wesley Jenkins added 15 and Ryan Bacon delivered a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Pearson swiped five of the Jaspers nine steals which equaled a career-high. Sophomore forward Andrew Gabriel also set a career mark with five blocked shots. It was the most blocks by a Jasper since Arturo Dubois rejected five at Siena on Jan. 30, 2006.
Manhattan returns to action Saturday night at Madison Square Garden versus local MAAC rival Iona. Tip off will follow St. John's contest with Rutgers.
