Box Score
BALTIMORE, Md. - Greyhounds' sophomore guard Dylon Cormier buried the game winning 3-pointer with two seconds remaining to send Loyola (10-4, 3-1 MAAC) past Manhattan, 61-60, in a hard-fought Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference contest on Thursday at Reitz Arena. Jaspers' junior guard George Beamon led all players with 18 points on 6-for-8 shooting and had a career-high four blocks as Manhattan (9-7, 2-2 MAAC) suffered its second straight setback.
In a game that featured 14 lead changes and seven ties, it was only fitting that it came down to a final possession. With less than one minute remaining in regulation, sophomore point guard Michael Alvarado put Manhattan ahead 59-58 with a midrange jumper. On the ensuring Loyola possession, Beamon led a Jaspers' defensive stop by blocking a lay up attempt by Greyhounds' junior forward Anthony Winbush. Rhamel Brown collected the rebound and with 23 seconds remaining Loyola put Beamon on the free-throw line.
Beamon sank the first free-throw, but missed the second giving Loyola 23 seconds to work with trailing 60-58. Greyhounds' freshman guard R.J. Williams was blocked by Beamon as he tried to take the ball to the rim in Loyola's initial attempt to tie the game. Retaining possession with four ticks on the clock, Loyola's 6'10" senior forward Shane Walker inbounded the ball to Cormier in the corner who popped the decisive 3-pointer. Manhattan could not get a shot attempt off before the buzzer.
Cormier, Walker and Williams each posted 11 points to lead Loyola. Jaspers' freshman Emmy Andujar (12) and Alvarado (10) also scored in double figures as Manhattan shot 50% (19-38) from the field in the contest, including its 57.1% (12-21) mark in the second half. Andujar and Beamon tied a game-high with six rebounds, while Brown added eight points and five boards to the Jaspers' effort.
Manhattan's active defense kept Loyola off balance in the first half as the Greyhounds were limited to a 28.6% (8-28) field goal percentage and they were 2-for-8 (25.0%) from beyond the arc. Williams scored nine of his 11 points in an evenly contested first half as the Greyhounds carried a 31-30 advantage into the break. Each squad turned in nearly half their points in the opening stanza with solid free-throw shooting as the Jaspers went 14-for-17 (82.4%) at the line and Loyola converted 13-of-15 (86.7%) attempts.
Neither team could build a lead larger than six points in the see-saw battle. Beamon sparked a 10-4 spurt early in the second half with his second of three 3-point field goals in the contest to take a four point edge, Manhattan's largest of the second half. Brown turned in a three-point play during the two and a half minute scoring flurry, and then Andujar topped it off with a lay up at 14:23 to go up 43-39.
The Greyhounds got three big 3-pointers off the bench from Robert Olson. The junior guard buried two treys to power a 15-5 Loyola run that gave the Greyhounds its largest lead of the game, 54-48, with 7:08 remaining.
Beamon answered back with his third 3-pointer at the 6:28 mark, his fifth consecutive bucket without a miss, and it remained a nail biting one possession game leading up to Cormier's game winner.
Manhattan held a 30-25 rebounding edge, but struggled with 21 turnovers. The Greyhounds relied on its 3-point shooting in the second half going 55.6% (5-9) beyond the arc, including a perfect 3-for-3 effort from Olson.
The Jaspers look to rebound on Sunday when they host Fairfield at Draddy Gymnasium at 2 p.m. Manhattan will also honor its 1991-92 basketball team for the 20th anniversary of their memorable NIT run.
