Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Manhattan men's basketball dropped a 73-59 decision to Fordham (4-4) in the 103rd "Battle of the Bronx" on Wednesday at Rose Hill Gym. The Jaspers, who had their two-game win streak with the Rams snapped, were led in scoring by freshman point guard Michael Alvarado's 19 points. Fordham senior guard Brenton Butler topped all players with 21 points as the Rams pulled within 53-50 in the all-time series with Manhattan.
Manhattan (2-7) led by as many as six points in the first half, shooting 43.3% from the field during the opening 20 minutes. The Jaspers used a pair of free-throws from Nick Walsh to cap a 10-3 run, earning its largest lead, 23-17 with 9:17 remaining in the stanza.
The Rams recaptured the lead with junior guard Alberto Eastwick's second 3-pointer of the contest to go ahead 24-23 at the 7:28 mark. Eastwick led Fordham into intermission scoring 10 points as the Rams held a 35-30 advantage at the break.
Working with an undermanned lineup, fatigue and poor shooting hindered the Jaspers in the second half. Manhattan converted just 25.0% (9-36) of its field goal attempts and could not slow down Rams' forwards Chris Gaston and Kervin Bristol. Gaston scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half, while Bristol finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds.
Sophomore swingman George Beamon delivered his third double-double of the year with 12 points and he tied a career-high grabbing 11 rebounds. Freshman forward Rhamel Brown just missed his third double-double recording nine points and nine rebounds. Brown also blocked five shots for the second straight game.
The Jaspers finished shooting 33.3% (22-66) to Fordham's 45.8% (27-59) field goal mark. The Rams knocked down 6-of-14 (42.9%) 3-point attempts.
Manhattan looks to snap its seven-game skid on Saturday when the Jaspers host Binghamton at 2 p.m. The game will be the 800th Manhattan basketball contest held in Draddy Gymnasium since the facility opened in 1978. The first 250 fans in attendance will receive a commemorative Draddy Gymnasium Memorable Moments poster.
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