Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y.- Manhattan junior guard Kidani Brutus hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:00 remaining in overtime, and the Jaspers (6-22, 3-13 MAAC) held on to defeat Stony Brook (11-16, 6-8 America East) 64-63 Saturday afternoon in the Sears Bracketbuster game at Pritchard Gymnasium.
"When I was coming off the screen, I saw them playing back and knew I had to step up and hit the shot," Brutus said.
Brutus, who finished with a career-high 25 points, made seven 3-pointers in the contest. It was the most since former Jasper Devon Austin equaled the total in a game against Rider on Feb. 2, 2007.
"I am very proud of the way we came back today after trailing by 11," fifth-year Coach Barry Rohrssen said. "We have now won two-out-of-three games and are starting to play better basketball. Kidani hit some huge buckets for us down the stretch and was a big reason we came out with the victory."
Stony Brook junior guard Bryan Dougher had an opportunity to win the game with a driving layup at the buzzer but the shot went in-and-out. Dougher finished with 11 points while fellow sophomore guard Marcus Rouse led the Seawolves with fifteen points on 55% (5-9) shooting from the floor.
For Manhattan, sophomore guard George Beamon chipped in with 23 points, his 25th double-digit effort of the season, to go along with six rebounds and three steals. Graduate forward Demetrius Jemison added seven points and 11 rebounds.
A thriller until the final horn, the first-ever meeting between the schools featured seven lead changes and five tied scores. The Seawolves jumped out to a 31-25 halftime lead behind an 18-4 margin in bench points and an impressive 10-14 shooting from the free-throw line.
Continuing their strong play into the second half, Stony Brook's zone defense stymied the Jaspers offensively and helped them expand their lead to 11 when freshman big-man Anthony Mayo completed a 3-point play with 10:37 remaining to make it 45-34.
From there, things would get interesting. Finding the momentum they had lacked for most of the contest, Manhattan would begin to battle back, using a 21-10 run to finish the game and force overtime. Led by the duo of Beamon and Brutus, who scored 17 of the 21 points in the span, the Jaspers deployed an inside-out attack to slowly turn the tables in a hostile environment.
After the Jaspers and Seawolves traded buckets to make it 55-53 Stony Brook with 2:27 left, Brutus hit a jumper on the right wing to tie the score at 55-all. On the ensuing possession, Dougher nailed a running lay-up to help the Seawolves retake a two-point lead, 57-55. Answering yet again, Beamon came right back with a slash to the bucket to tie the score at 57-all with 31 seconds on the clock. Seawolves' sophomore swingman Preye Preboye then missed an alley-oop with time expiring to send the game to overtime.
In overtime, Stony Brook started quickly with back-to-back baskets by junior forwards Danny Carter and Dallis Joyner to build a 61- 57 advantage with 3:10 left. In what would cap his career day, Brutus followed by hitting the first of two final quintessential treys over a defender to cut it to 61-60 Seawolves with 2:05 remaining. After a defensive stand and a free-throw by Jemision made it 61-all at the 1:21 mark, the junior would then give Manhattan the only lead they would need in the second half.
Coming off a screen at the top of the key, Brutus found himself open behind the arc and drained the eventual game winning 3-pointer, to push Manhattan ahead 64-61 with exactly one minute to play. On the next possession, Rouse was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer and made two-out-of-three free-throws to trim the score to 64-63 with 44 seconds remaining. With the stage set for one last rebuttal, Stony Brook got the look they wanted for the win, just not the final result.
After a missed shot by Jaspers freshman Michael Alvarado, who finished with eight points, Stony Brook's Dougher drove the lane and put up a finger-roll but it did not fall as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
Game Notes:
Taking on a grinding element early, both teams shot just 33.3% from the floor in the first 20 minutes, with Manhattan (8-24) taking and making one less opportunity than Stony Brook (9-27). Manhattan shot 57.1% in the second half, going 12-21 from the field, including 3-6 from behind the arc. Overall, the Jaspers were 9-15 (60%) from downtown and 11-16 from the free-throw line. Stony Brook, shot 37.1% in the half and 35.6% on the game, going 21-59 from the field. Behind the arc they were limited to just 6-21 shooting (28.6%) and were 15-27 from the free-throw line
The Jaspers will head to Buffalo, N.Y. next weekend to close out the 2010-11 MAAC season with matchups at Canisius and Niagara on Feb. 25th and 27th, respectively. Tip-off for the contests are set at 7 p.m. and 2 p.m.
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